


Write On Me

by Meowser_Clancy



Series: Ked Universe [2]
Category: Ghost Whisperer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-06-08 07:31:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6844987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meowser_Clancy/pseuds/Meowser_Clancy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ked one shots. Katie belongs to ghostwhispererfangirl. A cute little collection of prompts and gifts for ghostwhispererfangirl, showcasing Ned Banks and Katie Banks' relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ghostwhispererfangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostwhispererfangirl/gifts).



Write On Me by Meowser Hotchner

* * *

Katie sighed, stretching her legs. She'd been driving for too long, and she was tired.

She opened her car door, getting out and stretching her arms over her head, waiting for Ned to return from inside the gas station.

They'd been driving for hours, hunting for an estate sale that Melinda wanted some antiques from, just across the border in Pennsylania.

Melinda was too busy with her newborn, Emma, to go herself, but Katie knew that her mother would have preferred to go to this particular sale in person, for it had some very rare pieces that Melinda had been hunting for for a very long time now, for herself rather than the shop.

Katie and Ned...they were trying hard now, still newlyweds as they were, not even at a year yet. It was June, and Katie was enjoying her first full summer with Ned at her side, married as they finally were.

They'd always had a rocky relationship, filled with fire and ice, passion that was a very good thing in bed but had a downside when one of them was stressed or irritated.

They fought a lot, but when they made up...

Katie's lips curled into a grin, finally spying Ned coming through the door of the gas station, her long, lean legs carrying her across the parking lot to meet him halfway.

She saw the smile curling his own lips, how his arms rippled with lean muscle as he lifted them to embrace her, and she relished the solid feel of them around her as his lips fell onto her neck, sucking there. She sighed, a breathy sound that only made him pull harder, before moving to her lips and capturing them with his.

She kissed him back passionately, letting her tongue tangle with his, her hands clutching at his shoulders, pulling him closer.

And then he pulled away.

"I don't think we need to give the old man in there a show," he whispered, his hand nevertheless drifting down to cup her ass, stroke her inner thigh.

"Did you get directions?" She asked, slipping her hand into his and leading him back to the car, leaning on it as he took off the gas cap and attached the nozzle to the car, watching as the gallons climbed on the reader before turning to Katie.

"Yes," he said, sighing. "And that's the bad news."

"What?" She said, straightening and pushing herself off of the car.

She felt a tiny twinge in the area of her stomach, a reminder of the miscarriage she'd suffered back in January.

There was a time she'd been afraid that she and Ned wouldn't weather through it; that their relationship wouldn't survive the loss of their child.

But she'd been wrong, thank God.

"We're about 200 miles off," Ned said simply. "Basically we completely missed the estate sale. Your mom is going to kill us."

"Damn it," Katie said. "Where the hell did we go wrong?"

"The exit," Ned sighed. "We took the wrong exit but we thought that we were going the right way and we came about 200 miles in the opposite direction."

"Damn," Katie repeated, and picked up her cell phone.

"That's not going to work," Ned said. "I asked him. There's no cell reception out here, but he's got a phone inside and he'll let us use it for free; he told me."

"I'll go call Mom," Katie sighed. "You finish filling the car. Did you get directions back to the exit?"

"It's just backtracking," Ned said. "We'll be fine."

She nodded, stepping forward to press a quick kiss to his lips before heading inside.

The old man behind the counter grinned. "That your husband who was just in here?"

"Yeah," she said shyly. "We haven't even been married a year yet. It's still new."

"How nice," he said. "Ned said you might need to call your mom?"

"Yeah, we're picking up some antiques for her and I think we completely missed the sale, so I need to see what she wants us to do," Katie said.

"Here's the phone," he said, pushing it towards her.

It was old and dusty. Katie slowly lifted the receiver to her ear and dialed the number of her mother's store, easily envisioning her mother at the counter, maybe rocking Emma in her cradle.

" _Same As It Never Was_ antique shop," came Melinda's cheerful voice. "What can I find for you today?"

"Hey, mom, it's Katie," Katie spoke.

"Katie! Why the strange number?" Melinda exclaimed.

"I don't have any cell coverage out here," Katie said. "Um, mom, we took a wrong turn. We're about 200 miles in the opposite direction."

"What?" Melinda exclaimed. "What happened?"

"We thought we were going in the right direction!" Katie said. "It never occurred to us that we weren't."

"Katie!" Melinda sighed. "The sale is ending, like, now!"

"Can't you call the owner and ask him to set aside stuff for you?" Katie pleaded.

"I guess, but it'll cost me more," Melinda said. "It's okay, Katie. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry, mom," Katie said.

"Don't be," Melinda scolded. "It was such a spur of the moment thing. I'm not surprised that you and Ned got lost. I don't blame you. The more important thing is, are you having a good time?"

Her mother's voice had lightened noticeably.

"Yeah," Katie admitted. "We've been joking this whole time, fighting over the radio."

"Good," Melinda said. "I'm so glad. You were on such rocky ground, I knew that this trip was what you needed."

"Thanks, mom," Katie said. "You know me and Ned better than we know ourselves sometimes."

"I just pay attention," Melinda said. "I'll contact the auctioneers. You and Ned just worry about getting home...or finding a private place."

"Mom!" Katie said, blushing and looking to see if the old man behind the counter had overheard her mother's words, but he was sitting there oblivious. "See you later," she said.

"Bye," Melinda said warmly. "Take your time getting home. I mean it."

* * *

Ned disconnected the hose from the car just as Katie strode from the store, looking surprisingly unworried for the news he'd just given to her, and what she had to have heard from her mother inside.

He took a quiet moment to admire his wife, as she took her time coming to the car. Long legs showed to perfection in tiny cut offs. A newly regained flat stomach...though he did miss how she'd looked while pregnant. He was glad, for her sake, that she'd lost the weight fairly quickly. It was hard enough to know that you had miscarried, but to still have that pregnancy body...he'd been present one day when a woman asked how far she was along.

The look on Katie's face...it was like the woman had punched her in the gut. She'd barely been able to respond, and the pain present there...

He never wanted someone to make that mistake again. He'd gone with Katie to a few sessions with her new workout coach, glad that she was regaining herself.

And now...

He knew for a fact that she had the beginnings of a six pack again, the lean lines on her stomach leading down to something even better. God.

He began to get hard just thinking about it.

About Katie. About how they made love now.

She dipped her head a little as she came over to him, the motion seeming to push up her ample cleavage, and Ned knew that he was a goner.

She was already getting into the car though, giving him no chance to grab a hold of her and make out until both of their lips were chapped.

He got inside with her. "So, what did your mom say?"

"She was disappointed but she said it's alright," Katie explained, studiously buckling up. "She might call the guy doing it; see if she can buy the remaining pieces or whatever. She told us to just think about coming home now."

"Well, does she want us to go up there anyway?" Ned said. "If she does get some via the phone, maybe we should do some hauling to make up for it."

"We're talking about furniture," Katie giggled. "Even our Rav 4 will not fit the pieces Mom has in mind. Besides, it takes a while to finalize sales. Mom'll be fine paying the hauling expenses."

"I just feel guilty," Ned explained.

"I know," Katie said. "Mom says we shouldn't, though."

"I feel like this always happens, though," Ned said. "No matter what."

They pulled out of the gas station, Ned making a careful right turn. It was easy enough to get back to the correct highway, and this time he'd get on the correct ramp.

Life happened.

"I got some stuff from the gas station," Katie said a few minutes later.

"Oh, yeah, I was wondering what you had in the bag," Ned said.

"Turn left here," Katie said suddenly. "Hurry, don't miss the turn."

Startled, Ned nevertheless made the turn, tires squealing a little. "What's this about, Katie?"

"Pull over at this forest preserve," she said urgently. "Come on."

"Katie!" He exclaimed, pulling in where she said, only to be utterly floored when she opened the door and jumped out, leaving him with no choice but to abruptly put the car in park and yank the keys out, locking the car as he ran after her.

Her legs were long and she had a headstart. Ned had a glimpse of her retreating back, groaned, and went all out, remembering trying out for track on high school, and his desperate and failed attempt to make a six minute mile.

But he'd been training for his police badge too, and he caught up to her in no time, grabbing hold of her around the waist.

"What are you doing?" He asked, laughing, pulling her close to him so she couldn't get away.

"I thought you needed a distraction," she said, smiling.

"The kind of distraction where you give me a panic attack?" Ned said, letting her hands go when she proved that she wouldn't try to get away again by curling her leg near his.

She smiled again, flipping her hair over her shoulder, and her fingers went to the buttons on her plaid shirt.

Ned inhaled at the sight of her undoing them; of the movement of nimble fingers gradually revealing more and more skin. And then it was slipping to the ground beneath them and she reached out to tug at the waist of his t-shirt, tugging it over his head before he could say anything.

"Should I?" She teased, turning a little so he could see the fastening of her bra. "Or do you want to do the honors?"

"Damn it, Katie," he muttered, grabbed hold of her and kissed that teasing mouth, until she wasn't laughing, only moaning.

One leg hooked around his waist and he could feel her pressing against him in a way that made him groan.

He found the fastening on her bra, and it was undone in one quick motion. He felt her breasts spill out, press against his chest, and it was almost more than he could bear.

Her hands were fumbling at his belt buckle, unable to get it quickly enough and, impatient, she pressed her hand against him, cutting off all brain function for a brief moment.

They fell back onto the crisped by the sun grass, a tangle of legs and tongues battling for dominance.

Ned was trying to catch her, pin her down, but she was wiggling beneath him, making him crazy with desire and frustration, until he finally let her have her way, giving in and letting himself be shoved onto his back, and she straddled his hips.

"I think we're both wearing a bit too many clothes on our bottom halves," Ned suggested.

She tossed her head. "I want to see if I can do something," she said. "You know that you've, um, gotten me to climax without even touching me down there. I want to see if I can do the same for you."

Ned laughed in pain, the very suggestion making him harder. "Katie, you'd win that in a second. Seriously, it's taking all of me to keep myself from coming this instant."

She scraped her fingernail over one flat nipple. "So you don't want me to try?"

He definitely couldn't breathe now. She was leaning her head down, bringing those incredible breasts closer to his face, and then her wet, open mouth was placed on his chest, sucking on his nipple.

He gave in to the movement, feeling his erection pulse, and Katie giggled as she felt it beneath her, purposefully rubbing herself against him.

He was done.

As her hands crept lower, he took control of the moment, flipped her over and yanked her shorts off in one move. "Ned!" She gasped, seeing the look on his face.

"I don't know if you're trying to drive me insane intentionally or if it's just coincidental.." Ned gasped, slipping his fingers inside her and making her buck against him. "But I think it should be paid back in kind." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place near the beginning of Ked's relationship, so before chapter one.

"I need to write," Katie breathed out. "I need to get this out."

She raked her hands through her hair, stressed and worried.

Her stomach was fluttering. She had actual butterflies.

After the events of last summer, did she really think she was ready for this?

Ned.

Ned Banks and Katie Clancy were going on a date. A real, honest to God date.

Their second.

She flopped back on her bed, processing that. They'd survived their first date, god knew how.

And they were going on another one. He was driving three and a half hours to see her. To go out.

He was going to find a hotel room to stay at while he was there, just so that she wouldn't feel pressured.

And it was Ned Banks. Did she mention that?

"It's just Ned," Hannah said, coming into the bedroom in a towel. "Stop panicking."

"How did _you_ know I was panicking?" Katie asked, rolling up to a seated position. "You're showering. You're going out with Brandon."

"Are you insinuating that I'm selfish?" Hannah wondered.

"No," Katie sighed. "And yes, I'm panicking. I don't know what to wear."

"Do you really think Ned cares what you wear?" Hannah asked.

"No, but I do," Katie grumbled. "And that's way worse."

Hannah barked out a laugh. "Too, too true, Katie. Fine. Let's look in your closet."

She walked forward, rifling through Katie's closet with abandon, taking out several choices that Katie could almost choose...and throwing them aside.

And then she came to a cotton LBD. Tight, but not clinging. Fitted but not too showy.

"Here you are," Hannah said smugly, watching as Katie rose from the bed and grabbed for it.

"I'd almost forgotten that I had this," Katie enthused, pulling it over her head.

She loved this dress. It just complemented her body type perfectly, showing what she liked (her legs and waist) and camouflaging the things that could use a little camouflaging. (Sometimes she liked being built like her mother but sometimes it meant finding a dress nearly impossible.)

She grabbed a gold heart necklace from her jewelry box, slipping it around her neck. Hannah's hands came up to do it for her, and her friend grinned at her in the mirror.

"I don't really like Ned," Hannah said. "I don't like, so far, what he's done to you. But...Katie? I'd love him if this turns out to be real. If he's finally grown up."

"Me too," Katie whispered as Hannah slipped from the bedroom.

She hesitantly opened the locket, afraid of what she'd find. It was a relic of her past, really, but she couldn't help keeping it around sometimes.

There was picture of Ned inside; he was about 17. And there was picture of Katie opposite, one that he'd put on facebook as part of a family party album. It had been a surprisingly good picture, considering that Ned was the photographer and he'd been 17 at the time. She was gazing out in the distance, sat under a tree and trying to write in one of her many notebooks.

It was the only picture he'd ever taken of her.

And there they were in the locket, forever.

She snapped it closed, smiling to herself. She wasn't that dreaming girl anymore. She was his girlfriend, but more importantly, before that, she hadn't been thinking of him. There had been a period in her life where she hadn't been obsessed with Ned Banks.

The thought convinces her that this is the right step, that she's finally healthy enough to do this. And she dives in.

* * *

"This restaurant is really expensive, isn't it?" Katie asked, worrying her lip as Ned helped her out of the car.

"Yeah, it is," Ned said. "Which is why we're going to the diner next door. I just parked here cause the lot was clearer."

He saw disappointment flash on her face for a very brief minute, which didn't make sense. Katie didn't like expensive food and she obviously didn't like the thought of Ned spending so much money on the date, especially after driving so long.

But she was still disappointed, just for a second.

She slipped her arm into his, and he pushed away his fears. She's here. She's ready. They, Ned Banks and Katie Clancy, are actually going to be a thing. He cannot believe that this is happening.

They go into the diner and the waitress shows them to a table. It's quiet in here at this time of night; they've passed the dinner rush and are before the late nighters.

He orders a burger; she orders a wrap.

And then they stare at each other, wide eyed.

She's dressed in a very little black dress. He'd almost had a heart attack when she opened the door and he saw the amount of leg it showed, until they were cut off by black ankle boots.

So much leg. So much creamy, white thigh.

He swallows at the memory, taking a hasty sip of his glass of soda.

It's very short sleeved and tight. It has a scoop neck, and there's a delicate gold locket around her neck.

"Is that the locket you got when you were thirteen?" He asked.

Her eyes widened. "Yeah, it is. How do you recognize it?"

"I remember you wore it every day," Ned said, smiling at the memory. "It was part of you. And then when you were sixteen, after three years, you just stopped." He tilted his head as he looked at her. "I always wondered why you outgrew it. I mean, I guess it was a given. Everyone outgrows things. But there's always something to make that push."

He fell silent and watched Katie; she's blushing and fiddling with the locket, twisting it in her fingers, just as she used to do.

It's such a blast from the past. It's so odd to reconcile that shy little thirteen year old with this confident almost nineteen year old...and yet she hasn't changed. She's still Katie. Always has been.

"I always wanted to ask," Ned said, as she didn't speak, obviously feeling a little flustered. "What are the pictures inside it?"

She freezes, her eyes like a deer stuck in headlights.

The waitress comes then and saves her. She starts to gush about the meal, how good the chicken is on her wrap and Ned copies her, acting like he enjoys his burger.

In reality, he's not really tasting anything.

They start to talk; Ned brings up a subject that he knows will get Katie talking (her favorite TV show) and they argue over the latest season's winter finale.

She gets animated, waving her arms around.

He chews, but he's not tasting anything, but for the memory of Katie's lips against his own in December.

He wants her. He wants her bad but he's not going to do anything to jeopardize this relationship. He's been so clumsy, too clumsy, in the past. This has to be about more than sex. That's all there is to it.

She orders a root beer float, cheekily asking for two straws.

"It's so dumb but I can't help it," she said.

He doesn't say that there's a reason guys like straws, like watching girls suck on them, like sharing a glass, two heads bent together.

Instead, when the drink comes, he takes the second straw and sucks at the liquid with her, maintaining eye contact the whole time. He's not going to look at her cleavage, even though she's leaning forward and it's killing him to not take a peek. He's not going to look at her legs, or brush his foot against them.

He's going to look at her eyes, at her soul.

He loves this woman. It hits him then, really hard. He loves her and he would move the earth for her.

* * *

Katie let Ned's arm slip around her as they exited the restaurant. "This was nice," she said, rambling. "I was a bit afraid that...well, you know. But that was a really good diner."

He grinned, pulling her against him a little closer as they cross the street.

"I guess now it's time to drop you off," Ned said. "I just need to think if I remember where your apartment is."

"It's easy," Katie said easily. "Promise." She leaned against his car door for a moment, folding her arms as she looked up at him. She doesn't know it but Ned thinks this is the sexiest he's seen her all evening and he's finding it really hard to not kiss her. "Did you look into getting a hotel?"

"I have a friend," Ned said easily. "I'm going to bunk at his place. And we can breakfast in the morning."

"I have an eight a.m. class, so it'll have to be early or late," Katie said. "But good idea." There are words, forming in her mind. She bit her lip, wondering if she really wanted to do this. Yes, they did...do things.

But they haven't since...then.

And maybe they should wait again.

"Let's drive," Katie said, shoving the words down.

They're silent on the drive over, and Katie hurries up the stairs (the elevator is out) until they're standing outside her door.

"I guess this is goodnight," Ned said. "Um."

She turned around. He's looking at her, intent. The look in his eyes is one she's seen many times before: it appears when he's about to kiss a girl.

She beats him to it, leaning forward to press her lips against his.

It starts out gentle. Gentle and soft and giving. They're tasting each other, remembering. And then their bodies seem to remember what happened the last time they collided.

And then it gets rough.

They're warring for dominance and Katie can't breathe. Their tongues are fighting each other and she's clawing at his shoulders, letting him press her against the door, bringing one leg up to rub against the sharp bone of his hip.

And then he pulls back.

"Some goodnight kiss," he breathed. "Um. I should..."

"Stay here," Katie said.

His eyes widen. "Are you sure?" He finally asks.

"As sure as I've ever been," she whispers.

She shoves her key in the lock and he follows her inside.

"Katie, I don't want this to go too fast...I don't want to hurt you," he said, but she shuts the door.

She reaches for the locket at her neck and pulls it until the flimsy chain breaks.

"Katie?" He asks.

"This is what's inside," she says, voice shaking, opening the locket and showing it to him. "You and me." She tells him the stories behind each picture.

Ned looks at her with wide eyes.

"I don't want to be that dreaming girl anymore, Ned," Katie said. "You're _mine_ now and I don't want you to forget that. I don't want to forget that either."

Their bodies collide in a tangle of passion and legs. He pushes her back against the couch, and they fall into it.

He's straddling her, being careful to not weigh on her too much, and his hands are on her shoulders, and they're falling lower.

She wants them lower.

She takes his hands and places them on her breasts.

Her dress is gradually pulled down. Her bra disappears and then there's Ned's mouth, hot on her nipples.

His blue dress shirt is cast aside, and she returns the favor, making him moan out loud when she licks his pectorals, tasting him, finally.

They rock together, find a friction that just suits them.

Her panties come off. So do his boxers.

They check each other out, as if to see if they remember correctly. She helps him put the condom on, hands fumbling a little.

Their faces are bright red, and then the embarrassment fades. They aren't Katie and Ned anymore. They're lovers. And lovers aren't embarrassed.

He enters her, begins to move inside. She can't believe how good it feels, how much different.

He brings her to completion; her world explodes and he follows soon after.

And then they rest, bodies close together.

"Come to bed with me," Katie whispers.

"Forever," he breathes into her neck.


	3. Parallels

Parallels.

Katie was seeing parallels all over. But it was her fault, she reflected, sighing as she placed the stack of papers on her desk at home. She was the person who assigned this essay.

She stretched her arms over her head, and the turned, jumping a little in her seat.

"Ned! You surprised me," she scolded.

"I would have thought you'd hear me come in," he said. "I did say 'hi, Katie, I'm home'." He walked over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Do I need to ask your dad to check your hearing out?"

"Very funny," Katie sighed, leaning against him a bit as he picked at the stack of papers on her desk.

"What are all these?" He asked, one hand massaging her shoulder.

"Essays whose topic I regret assigning," Katie said, pushing back her chair to stand up. "Listen, I hate to say it, but I have to go back to school to drop these off."

"Why?" Ned asked, brow crinkling.

"My mom wants me to stop by her shop early tomorrow and it'll just be easier on me if I know that these are in my desk," Katie said. "I'll be back in twenty minutes, promise."

"Can you even get into the school at night?" Ned asked, one hand alighting on her waist to pull her near.

"Stupid question, Ned," Katie said, and his lips curved in a grin. "We've done it, in case you've forgotten."

"That's right, there was an after hours trip to Grandview High, wasn't there?" Ned whispered. "When we decided to make up for the fact that I ignored you when you were in high school."

"And that if you hadn't, it would have been statutory rape," Katie chuckled, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Twenty minutes. Then we can make up for the fact that you ignored me all you want."

"Sounds good to me," Ned said. "I'll just go change and shower while you're gone."

She nodded and scooted out the door, hurrying to her car. Settling the essays carefully on the front seat, she pulled out of her driveway, cruising along the road to Grandview High.

She loved this town. She knew every street like the back of her hand.

Making a right turn, she yawned deeply, realizing that it was later than she'd first thought when telling Ned that she was going out. Oh well. This would take a load off of her mind the next morning so it was still worth it.

As she drove, feeling sleepier every moment, she suddenly found herself on a road that she didn't recognize. Which was practically impossible. She knew every road in Grandview. It was inconceivable that she'd taken a wrong turn on her way to the high school. This literally did not make sense.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, she picked up her cell phone and speeddialed the house.

"Katie?"

"Ned," Katie said quickly. "I think I'm in a ghost situation."

"What do you mean?" Ned said, voice instantly alert.

"I'm on a street I don't know," Katie said. "Somehow I turned wrong. This can't happen in a town like Grandview. I know every single street this town has so the only option..."

She trailed off.

"Katie?" He asked.

"The only option is a ghost," Katie said. "Which is why I called you. I don't want to be sucked too deep into his illusions."

"Just keep talking," Ned said. "Do you want me to try and track you?"

"No, I don't think it'll last that long," Katie sighed. "Just talk to me."

"I had a crazy day at work," Ned said, after a moment. "I had to arrest this eighty year old lady for public indecency."

"What did she do?" Katie asked, bursting out laughing.

"She was mad at her neighbor, a guy the same age as her, and took her top off to spite him," Ned said. "A mom and her kids were walking by and they got an eyeful. The funniest part of the story is that her neighbor was the one to bail her out."

"What?" Katie spluttered, taking another turn, and it seemed to be leading her into a loop, deeper into a maze of streets that didn't exist in Grandview.

"You okay, Katie?" Ned interrupted.

"I might be," she said. "Finish your story."

"I guess he liked what he saw," Ned said. "I mean, when we're eighty, I know I'll still like to see you with your top off."

"Did they...?" Katie asked, trailing off.

"He certainly had a spring in his step as he escorted her from the station," Ned chuckled. "And she didn't look mad at him anymore. I'd say he was getting lucky tonight."

She was laughing so hard that at first she didn't see it and then she just slammed on the brakes. A horrible screech sounded with it and was soon accompanied by Ned cursing in her ear.

"Katie? Katie, answer me. Katherine, what the hell happened?"

"I'm fine!" She finally managed to gasp. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" Ned said, breaths coming fast over the phone.

"I'm at the high school, I took a turn and there it was...it didn't make sense," Katie said, voice faltering a bit.

"Wait there for me," Ned said. "I mean that, Katie. Wait there. I'm coming over. You're just lucky that I'm off shift and don't have the squad car. Then you'd really be in trouble. Why did you slam the brakes on?"

She could hear him slamming a door, and footsteps as he walked to his car.

"There was...um...a ghost, but it was so quick..." Katie said. "Just hurry up."

"I need to hang up and call you back on my cell," Ned said. "Pick up, okay?"

The line went dead. Katie pulled forward into the high school parking lot, hands shaking a little. She'd always had her mother's ability to see the dead but only rarely had she fully experienced some of the extreme visions that her mother told stories of, and her father shook his head when he heard them, pulling his wife a little closer, both of them blessing that none of Melinda's children experienced such things as regularly as she had.

She got out of the car, clutching keys and cell in one hand, and essays in the other, running to the school doors.

She was inside before Ned called back.

"Hey, took you long enough," she answered.

"Sorry," he said. "I just decided that I was too panicked to be talking on the phone and I didn't want to crash my car."

"It wouldn't look good for you, definitely," Katie said. "I've already finished dropping my essays off on my desk. I'll be outside when you get here."

"Okay," he said. "Katie...you don't usually receive visions that extreme."

"No, I don't," Katie said, striding from the school.

"What do you think it means?" He asked.

"I have no idea," she said. "I think we need to stop at my parent's house on our way home."

"Okay," he agreed, voice sober. "Do you think Jim and Melinda are still up?"

"I'm sure they are," Katie said, a smile in her voice. "My dad's off shift tonight for the first time in a week. They'll be going at it like bunnies."

"So soon after Emma?" Ned asked, then groaned. "I really didn't want to know that, Katie."

"Why do you think that they've got five kids?" Katie chuckled.

She walked through the doors of the school, back into the parking lot.

Ned was just pulling in, and he left his car running, jumping out the door and jogging to her side when he saw her.

"You scared me," he whispered.

"I scare myself sometimes when I don't put makeup on," she said flippantly, but willingly accepted his arms around her, hugging him tightly. "I've never been in a vision that deep," she confessed. "It scared me too."

* * *

Katie led the way to her parents' house, Ned following closely behind.

What they'd really wanted was to ride together but it wouldn't have done to leave a car in the high school parking lot overnight.

She kept her eyes on him in the rearview mirror and they reached Melinda and Jim's house without issue, slamming doors in the dark night. Both of her parents' cars were here, so she and Ned hurried to the house.

Katie hated to do it, but rang the doorbell when she found that the door was locked. It would wake her siblings up, but they probably weren't sleeping anyway.

It was Jim who got the door, shirtless and pants riding low on his hips. "Dad, you can't even put clothes on to answer the door?" Katie complained, sliding her arms around him in a hug anyway.

"You're damn lucky I opened it in the first place, considering what I was just doing," Jim griped, squeezing her.

"Who is it, Jim?" It was her mom's voice.

"Katie and Ned," Jim called up.

Her mother appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed rather conspicuously in one of Jim's t-shirts.

Katie met Ned's gaze and they both rolled their eyes, all the while knowing that they were just as bad as her parents, if not worse.

"Katie and Ned? What are you two doing here?" Melinda cried, hurrying down the stairs, legs very bare.

Katie couldn't help checking her mother out. Even after five kids, she still looked amazing. Even though she was so short, her mother had amazing legs, and she definitely noticed her father's eyes on them as he reached out to pull Melinda to him.

"What's up?" Jim asked. "Make it quick, if you can."

"Ghost issues," Katie said simply.

"Oh," Melinda said, straightening a little. "I might have guessed."

"At least you had a reason," Jim sighed, his arm creeping down to cup Melinda's ass.

Katie pretended she didn't notice and elbowed Ned in the side for looking.

"Oof," Ned said.

"Let's go to the kitchen," Katie said hastily. "Sit down."

"I'll make tea," Melinda agreed. "Jim, do you want to check that Emma's still sleeping?"

"I'll do it, mom, don't worry," Mackenzie called. "Take care of Katie and Ned and sent them home."

"We woke you up too?" Katie called. "Sorry, Mack."

"Just talk ghosts and go home," Mackenzie chuckled.

Melinda hurried to the kitchen, putting a kettle on. "So, what's up?" She asked, leaning against the counter as Ned and Katie settled onto stools.

"I was just driving to the high school to drop some papers off and I got lost," Katie said, explaining what had happened.

Jim walked over behind Melinda, resting one hand on her shoulder as they talked. Katie inwardly smiled when her mother reached up, as if without thinking, to cover Jim's hand with her own. She was so glad to see how close her parents always, always were.

"You've never had a vision that deep," Melinda worried, looking up at Jim.

His hand moved closer to her neck, massaging there.

"I know," Katie said. "Have you had ghosts around lately? Ones that seemed lost?"

"I don't think so," Melinda said, leaning into Jim's hand.

Katie could tell that she was quickly losing her parents' attention. Jim's hand moved ever closer to Melinda's mouth, and Melinda kept pressing closer into Jim.

"Um, you guys can probably take care of it," Melinda said, a little distractedly.

Katie almost groaned when she saw her father's hand sneaking down Melinda's back again.

As if they couldn't see that!

"Drive back in the same car," Melinda said. "Make Ned ride with you. See if it happens again and we can talk again tomorrow, okay? I need to, um, think about...this."

The last word came out in a bit of a hiss.

Katie saw Ned's eyes widen and she grabbed his hand. "Okay, well, thanks, and I'll see you guys early tomorrow," she said hurriedly.

"See you," Melinda said.

"We didn't wait for the water to boil," Ned complained as Katie tugged him from the house. "And wow, is your dad a smooth player."

"Don't even talk about that," Katie said. "God, they were always like this but never in front of guests."

"After all, I'm family now," Ned said. "And god knows they've walked in on us doing worse."

Katie sighed. "Okay. Whose care should we take?"

"Mine," Ned said. "I'm driving."

"It might not work," Katie said. "If I'm not driving."

Ned was growing more serious, looking down at her, and he pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Fine," he whispered a moment later. "You drive. And I'll distract you."

"Don't you dare," she said, heading around to the driver's seat on her car. Ned got in beside her and they pulled out of the driveway.

Katie drove to their house without incident, if you didn't count Ned's hands as incidents.

"Okay, now stop it," Katie said. "I'm going to start for the high school and we can see if it happens again." 

"Okay," Ned said, breath hot against her ear.

She swallowed as she pressed on the gas again, making the same right turn.

The street changed, grew foggy. Ned's eyes widened. "Holy eff, this is not Grandview," he said, excitement in his voice. "Oh my god, it's an actual ghost vision." 

"Don't be so excited," Katie complained. "And watch carefully." 

They took several turns that just seemed to lead them in a loop, and then they were at the high school. No ghost.

"That was so bizarre," Ned said. "That was so...I can't even find words. Did you see your ghost again?" 

"No," Katie sighed, crossing her arms.

"Oh," Ned said. "Well, that sucks." 

Silence.

"Do you want to make out to make up for it?" Ned said. "We could go break the rules in school again." 

She burst out laughing, putting her foot on the gas and turning them into the high school parking lot, parked and took the keys out of the ignition.

"My nerves are a bit frazzled," she said. "Too frazzled to drive home." 

She turned to him, heat in her eyes. "How about hot car sex instead?" She asked, and, without waiting for an answer, unbuckled and hit the lever on Ned's seat that tilted it backwards.

He fell back with a surprise, making a very appreciative sound when she moved to straddle him, leaning down to kiss his lips. 

"Can we do this every night?" He asked a few hours later, when they were both slightly naked.

"No," Katie said, as his lips grabbed at one nipple, gasping when he found his target. "But at least tomorrow. Until we find this bastard of a ghost." 

Ned sighed against her breast, bringing said nipple into erect splendor. "Sounds good to me," he whispered. 


	4. Stolen Moments

Ned felt as a teenage boy could only feel: hormonal.

He and his mom were accompanying the Clancy family to the beach, something that Ned had expected to be one thing: dead boring.

His nineteen year old self, however, was finding it distinctively not boring for one, shameful reason:

Fourteen year old Katie Clancy's bikini body.

He couldn't believe that Jim was letting her out of the house like that (even though as bikinis went it was definitely on the conservative side, with no flimsy straps or dipping necklines to make him feel more like a pervert than he already was).

Catching a glimpse of Jim, he suddenly wasn't surprised that he wasn't really paying attention to his daughter right now; Melinda, too, was wearing a bathing suit and though it wasn't a bikini, he knew exactly why Jim wasn't leaving his wife's side.

Ned shifted in the sand, pretending to look down at his phone, desperately trying for interest in the blank screen in front of him. Katie was escorting four year old Mackenzie into the waves, and both were laughing.

Ned chanced another peek at the giggling duo, Mack snug in a cute one piece and Katie looking curvy and too developed for her age. She was only fourteen, for god's sake. Ned had known her _forever_. Since she was _born_.

And yet he couldn't stop staring at her like she was one of his contemporaries, like he was a drowning man and she was his only lifeline, only way back to salvation and mankind.

It was brightly patterned, in hues of bright pink and lime green. The bottom rose to almost her belly button (had Ned ever seen her belly button before? Since she was two, that is?) and it covered her already magnificent (a la Melinda's genes) ass modestly, showing nothing more than was appropriate for a fourteen year old to show.

The top had thick straps that left no doubt that Katie would remained covered throughout this whole excursion. Her C (or possibly D?) cup breasts were very safe inside the sturdy material, with plenty of support for them.

Like he'd previously thought. As bikinis went, it was a modest one.

But holy hell, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

He shifted on the sand, laying on his stomach to hide the growing and hardening erection. Fuck. Wasn't he old enough to control this yet? Apparently not.

His mother came along, something that almost immediately evaporated any feelings of lust that Ned might have had. "Hey, aren't you going in?" She asked, looking perky and fabulous in a swimsuit and sarong.

He hated how cheerful his mother was sometimes. All at the wrong times.

"Um, maybe later?" Ned offered lamely, ducking his head back over his phone, something he knew that would infuriate his mother more but he really didn't want to have to explain the reason for his current erection so there was no way in hell that he was getting up any time soon.

He had to find a private place.

That was the only answer to this.

Find a place and just get this out of his system.

"I actually have to pee," Ned said. "But those beach bathrooms kind of turned me off so I was kind of waiting until I was desperate enough to get up."

It did the job. Delia rolled her eyes. "Fine, but hurry up and reach that desperation point." She chuckled. "Though I have felt the same way."

Still laughing, she walked over to where Melinda and Jim were under an umbrella.

Ned got up, sure that no one was watching, and chanced another glimpse around himself.

Aaron was building a sand castle (Ned was glad to see that the ten year old hadn't grown out of that yet) and Mack and Katie were still in the waves; Jim was applying sunscreen to Melinda's back while they both talked to Delia.

Other than that, the beach was deserted. It was still morning, on a school day (the Clancy's had decided to be daring and pull their kids out since Jim had a rare day off and the weather was perfect) and they literally had the beach to themselves.

He could see his mother pointing at him and laughing a bit with Jim and Melinda and Ned hurried away, satisfied, for once not angry with his mother for giggling a little.

At least she wouldn't guess the real reason for his outing.

Ned hurried along the beach, passing the empty lifeguard station and the place where the huts that masqueraded as bathrooms stood, going around another curve until he finally... _finally_...got to a private cove, seemingly tucked away from the rest of the beach.

He almost didn't want to. It felt so wrong.

Yet it also seemed like the easiest solution to his problem. If he just...got off...then he at least knew for sure that he wouldn't get another one. He could control himself _that_ much.

The thought of Katie came back to him and he swallowed, dropping his phone, leaning back in the sand. His swimming trunks seemed to slide down his hips on their own and he was suddenly grasping his shaft, mind flooded with images of Katie.

The way her breasts had bounced as she ran along the sand with Mack.

He swallowed again, his hands beginning to move.

The way her ass had looked when she bent over to help Mack up after a particularly wicked wave.

Ned closed his eyes tighter, letting a moan escape his lips.

The glistening of water drops on her skin...how he'd only wanted to drink them up, lick her dry.

Oh god.

When she'd bent over and her breasts had started to spill out, and her bathing suit had only just managed to halt their descent.

The way the wind caught her hair, whipped it about her shoulders.

Ned couldn't...couldn't breathe.

His hands moved, one last time, and he was spilling out onto the beach, all images of Katie finally evaporating, leaving him dry mouthed and, thankfully, no longer erect.

Was it wrong?

His relief was too much for him to care any longer.

* * *

Katie's first thought had been simple: follow Ned.

She'd left Mack with her mother and father, saying that she was going to the bathroom, and thankfully Delia had slipped out of earshot and didn't hear her destination and think she was following Ned.

Aaron was busy with his sandcastle and Katie just strolled along the beach, cheeks flushing a little.

She still couldn't believe how good looking Ned Banks was. How much better looking he kept becoming. The ripple of his back muscles as he lay on his stomach, texting, completely unaware of the world around him.

His six pack, which she'd only briefly glimpsed and ached, in one specific place, to see again.

His hair, falling into his eyes. The smile on his face as he looked at his phone.

Damn that phone. Why did he keep looking at it? Was his girlfriend texting him? Katie sorely hoped not.

She hurried along the beach, making up a game plan to be alluring and flirty, but not too obviously. She'd try to be cool. Very cool.

She glanced down at herself, deploring the modesty of her swimsuit. Melinda had said yes to a bikini, leaving Katie to cheer, but when she saw the suit Melinda came home with...well, she hadn't been so happy.

But when she looked at herself in the mirror she was at least assured that she filled it out all right, even if it did seem to make her butt look big.

Remembering the way her father always watched her mother's hips when she walked, Katie was reminded that, in a guy's view, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

She jogged forward, letting herself go a bit faster, but when she came onto the stretch of beach with bathrooms, she saw no one, and both huts' doors were flung wide open.

There was no occupant. No sandy haired, muscled occupant with sparkling eyes and a voice that made Katie's heart skip a beat.

She spun around, scanning the beach. Where was he?

She continued onward, knowing that she would have bumped into him had he returned, and then she heard a sound.

Instinct made her duck and hide, made her run up the beach, up a hill. She wasn't sure why she knew to do this, she wasn't sure how she knew what she was about to witness but the way her body was suddenly on high alert, how her thighs seemed to grow more sensitive, and her nipples were pebbling though it was eighty degrees, clued her in.

She ducked down in the grass and sand above the beach, peeking out beneath her.

And yes, there was Ned.

 _Nude_ Ned.

Well...as good as nude Ned.

His trunks were around his knees and she could see that his hands were cradling his...him. Her brain seemed to fry suddenly and she was unable to find words to express what she was seeing.

Oh god. His six pack. His rippling stomach. His broad shoulders. The look on his face, one of intent concentration.

And his hips. And lower.

She watched his hands working, knowing enough to realize what he was doing. She crouched lower in the grass, not wanting to be seen...but not wanting to miss a moment.

She bit back a moan herself as a loud grunt came from Ned, as his hands moved slower.

She reached a hand up to her chest, feeling the hard nipple beneath her hand, almost able to pretend that it was his.

The other hand seemed to be moving of its own accord to her thighs, to sneak her bikini bottom aside...

Ned was still moving, still trying.

Katie could only function enough to wonder what exactly had brought this on.

She saw his phone on the beach beside him and cursed silently, wondering if his current girlfriend had a penchant for sending nudes.

And then Ned came.

Her cheeks turned a flaming red, as his hands fell away, as she got to see his...him.

She couldn't bring herself to call it by its name.

She...she supposed that he was well built. Most people seemed to think that larger was better.

Oh god.

He began to get up, gathering his trunks up to his waist.

She pressed herself into the grass, pretending that she wasn't there, until she finally glanced up and he was gone.

* * *

When Ned walked back to the group, feeling free and loose after his constriction earlier, he had another moment of relief: Katie wasn't there. She must have also gone to the bathroom. Thank god.

The rest of the day was spent frolicking in the water. Katie came back, looking sunburned, and Ned felt confident enough to insist upon helping her apply some sunscreen to her bright red cheeks, rubbing it into her flushed cheeks and wondering why she wouldn't look him in the eye. Whatever. She'd always had a crush on him, yet another reason that he _should_ but _didn't_ feel guilty about his actions earlier.

They splashed and played, goofing around. Jim and Melinda joined in the fun, even getting Delia to come into the water, before it was time to head back to town.

Ned had driven his own car and waved farewell to his mother and the Clancys as he got in, turned the keys.

* * *

He'd left his phone sitting on the beach and Katie snapped it open, unable to help herself. The texts...there weren't any since this morning.

Weird. She checked other things and he hadn't received _anything_ while he was at the beach.

What had he been looking at all that time then? This was a cheap phone; there were no apps and no games to play. Ned hadn't wanted to bring his brand new smartphone to the beach.

She told her parents, as they loaded the car, that Ned had dropped his phone and made it to his car door just seconds before he pulled away.

"Hey, wait," she called and he rolled his window down. "You dropped this," she said, holding it out to him.

"Thanks," he said, reaching to take it from her.

"It was nice...today," she managed to say. "I'm glad that you...came."

"So am I," Ned said cheerfully. "Good night, Katie. Do well in school to make up for today."

She waved as he drove away, feeling let down.

As always. He only saw her as a little kid after all.

* * *

Ned looked at the phone in his hand before tossing it onto the seat next to him. Finally back to college, where he could look at hot co eds and pretend that this day at the beach had never happened.

He remembered again those stolen moments...

And then he remembered that he'd passed the bathroom huts on his way back to the beach where the Clancys were. How the doors had been wide open, clearly showing that they had no occupants.

How Katie hadn't been there.

How he hadn't been there.

His heart pounded in his ears.

He remembered looking up, feeling like he'd seen something, but dismissing it.

It took three bottles of beer for Ned to forget most of what had happened that day, but he finally succeeded in doing so and the next time he saw Katie he was able to look at her and finally see her as he always saw her.

But she didn't forget. Oh no. She didn't want to.


	5. Moments Like These

Ned tugged Katie from the car, unable to wait a second longer.

"So where are we?" She chuckled, the new engagement ring on her finger sparkling bright.

"Feel where you're stepping," he urged.

"It's not pavement, or dirt," Katie said, and then gasped. "The beach! Oh my god, really, Ned?"

"You know it," Ned said happily, letting her take the blindfold off.

She jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Amazing! But—I don't have my swim suit."

"I got your mom to pick out a new one for you," Ned said. "In this bag."

"A gift and a trip to the beach?" Katie said, jumping up and down again. "You're amazing!"

"Anything for my new fiance," he smiled, and she smiled back at him, both of their breaths catching in the shared moment.

"Fiance," Katie breathed, stepping closer, shoving her hands in the back pockets of her black skinny jeans. "I still can't quite believe it."

"I can," Ned said, stepping closer and leaning his forehead against hers. "Because I've never felt so at peace."

Their lips met, caressed each others. Ned pulled away. "I love you," he said solemnly. "Now change into your new bikini."

"Ooh, a bikini!" Katie exclaimed, grabbing for the bag. "You finally want to see me in one again!"

"Again?" He asked, watching as she darted for the beach huts in front of them to change.

"Yeah, the day we spent at the beach when you were nineteen and I was fourteen," Katie said, ducking into the hut.

There were a few other people there, or Ned would be questioning why she wasn't just stripping down where she was.

But...he didn't remember this. What she had mentioned.

"We went to the beach?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, well, not us," Katie giggled from inside the hut. "Our families. Mack and Aaron, Mom and Dad, your mom."

Ned frowned, and her words finally seemed to bring an image back. A sandcastle. "Yeah, I guess I remember. Aaron spent the whole day building sandcastles."

"And you spent nearly all of it on your phone," Katie said, and Ned heard the thwack of clothes hitting floor, his mind going to all sorts of places at the thought of what she was and wasn't wearing now.

"What are you wearing now?" He asked, leaning closer to the door.

He heard her laugh. "Um, I'm just taking off my pants," she said. "I'm already out of my shoes, bra and shirt."

He inhaled, imagining it.

"Have you put the bikini top on yet?" He questioned.

"Yes," she said firmly and he wilted a bit.

"Oh, okay," he said.

"I'd invite you in but these huts are small enough as it is," Katie soothed him.

He heard shuffling, sensing that her pants were off. "This is...an interesting suit. Did you pick it out with my mom?"

"No, I just told her the plan and she gave me the bag when I picked you up today," he said, leaning against the wall of the hut.

And then the door scraped open and Katie was standing there.

Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't this. Well, it was. He already knew Katie's body like the back of his hand. It was already memorized, because he knew distinctly that he _never_ ever wanted to forget what she looked like nude, if by some horrible twist of fate he one day didn't have her with him.

But he hadn't had a clue what Melinda would pick out when he asked her, assuming something just a bit more conservative since it'd be her daughter wearing it.

But he supposed that Melinda, knowing that Jim would never see Katie in it, had gone all out.

And Ned blessed her for it.

It seemed to be entirely composed of strings. The flimsiest strings imaginable were tied tight on her hips, which were (barely) graced by a flimsy red orange bikini bottom.

And her top half...

The same red orange graced it...them...her breasts. Tied tight at the neck, they were hiked up, giving her the barest minimum of support, because everything else...strings. And two small triangles of fabric that didn't seem to quite cover everything.

Ned swallowed.

Katie leaned against the door of the hut.

"You, um, you have seen me in a bikini before," she said, when she saw his dumbfoundedness and rapidly growing erection.

"I don't think so," he said, in a bit of a daze, moving a bit closer and leaning over her.

"I was fourteen, remember?" She urged, giggling as she pushed him aside, purposefully swaying her hips as she walked back to the car. "Wait, you said something about a picnic."

The view in the back was almost better than the one in the front.

Ned jogged after her, trying to make sure that no one else there saw her.

"Yeah, um, I picked up some food at Dinero's," he said. "Sandwiches, chips, pickles, some dessert."

"Ooh, what's dessert?" She asked, leaning over the back of the trunk.

Poses like that should be illegal, Ned thought, as it seemed to emphasize everything that was already emphasized. The curve of her spine. Other curves. How her breasts were almost spilling out and oh god.

He couldn't help resting one hand on her ass, lightly cupping it, feeling it, as Katie dug through the basket. "Chocolate, you're the best," she moaned. "I need chocolate. Do you mind if I eat dessert first? I didn't have much breakfast today and I just need a little sugar to get me through this."

"Go ahead," he invited, as she peeled the wrapper from a brownie.

She bit into it, moaning a little. "Dinero's has the best brownies," she gasped. "Thank you."

"Give me a taste," Ned requested.

She grinned, holding it out to him, but he shook his head.

Recognizing the request, she sobered a little, lifted the brownie to her lips and smeared the frosting over them.

Ned leaned in, tasting the chocolate in the best way possible.

She seemed to agree, moaning even louder as he licked her lips clean. "It tastes better like that, you're right," she managed to say.

"Of course I'm right," he said, his hand falling back to her ass to tug her closer.

"Let's get set up," she said. "Find a more...private place to picnic. Play in the water a bit before we...have more dessert," she said coyly. "And don't you have to change?"

"Yeah, yes," he said. "Okay, fine. Wait for me and I'll take the basket."

"For sure," Katie said, leaning on the back of the car.

* * *

Even for Katie, some of the memories of that other day at the beach were a little hazy by now. She knew she'd been wearing a bikini, but which one? She knew that Ned had been on the phone for all of it, which probably annoyed the crap out of her.

She knew she had to have a journal entry about it somewhere but couldn't bring herself to remember the rest...besides what she'd witnessed Ned doing, when he thought he was alone.

He really didn't remember it?

She bit her lip, tasting a bit of frosting that Ned had left and her tongue swiped out to capture it.

She swallowed a little, remembering how Ned had looked that day in his suit. All six pack and lean muscle. His body had changed since then, first when he lost some of his fitness, and then gained it back times two by grace of training for the police academy.

He finally came out of the huts and she bit back a gasp. She'd seen him nude, oh so many times, finally, in the past few months, but seeing someone in bed just wasn't the same as seeing them on the beach, in the full sunlight, to know that he was yours and everyone else...fuck, yes, everyone...would be jealous.

His abs were back in full force, rippling in the sunshine. His shoulders seemed broader, arm muscles more defined. His legs were thicker, and...

Oh yeah.

That seemed to have improved since that day too.

But maybe that was because he was already sporting a hard on.

Speaking of, she still wondered who he'd been jerking off to that day. There had been no messages or pics on his phone. He had actually been between girlfriends at the time too; she remembered looking a bit more into it, snooping on his various pages, which as far as they related he hadn't even been in a flirtationship at the time.

What gave?

But if he didn't remember it, could she even ask?

Would she even ask if he did? Because it was one thing to admit to taking peeks, or more than peeks, now that they were dating, but it made her short of breath and turn bright red to contemplate telling him what she'd done at fourteen.

Would he be turned on? Or angry? Humiliated?

Confused?

She stepped forward, running her hands over his shoulders. "How did I get the hottest person at the beach?" She whispered, hands falling down to his flat nipples.

"I think that's my line," he whispered back, hands again going to her ass. God. He'd never really been an ass man before but she was liking this.

"Come on," she said, taking towels and an umbrella from the trunk. "Wow, you really went all out."

He grabbed the basket and they cut around the people on the beach. Katie noticed that the few people there that day were families, and made a mental note to go farther than usual.

She didn't want an audience for Ned this time. No one besides her, that is.

The umbrella was set up rapidly.

They spent a good thirty minutes in the waves, splashing each other, actually swimming at times, crashing into each other and their lips would, inevitably, meet; caress each others, suck at the other's mouth until both of their lips were tingling.

And then they went back to the food, quarreling over who got the pickle; who got the turkey sandwich; who got the bigger brownie, all in play, since they ended up evenly splitting anything anyway.

And then, satiated, and mindful that you were supposed to wait after eating to go swimming again, Katie spread out her towel and stretched in the sun, Ned settling next to her.

"We should probably find something to do while we wait," Ned said, hands tracing lazily over the curve of her spine.

"Yeah, we should," she whispered, rolling onto one side and seeing how his eyes fell to the way her breasts were falling together, the left one almost falling out of its cup.

She jiggled her left shoulder and it popped out the rest of the way, baring one nipple.

Ned hissed, and she looked up innocently, pretending it was an accident.

"I should put that back in," she murmured. "Do you want to?"

"Don't," he managed to say, leaning forward to capture the renegade nipple between his lips, sucking it, swirling his tongue over it, nipping at it with his teeth until she was gasping and very aroused.

He fingered her other nipple, still covered by fabric, and then pinched it between two fingers.

She moaned, and Ned couldn't even smile, he was so into the moment, leaning forward to slide that nipple free too.

"You...don't...know..." Ned said, dragging the words out between kisses and sucking. "How many dreams this is the subject of...for many men."

She gasped as his lips tugged harder.

"Undressing a girl at the beach, finally...seeing...beneath her bikini," he said, his hands going down to her bottom and hooking his thumbs in the strings holding it together.

And then, one tug, it was untied, leaving one hip bare.

Ned's moves became, if possible, slower. He was definitely taking his time and it was going to kill Katie.

He was cupping her ass tightly, pulling her to him, to press her against his erection.

Her moan joined his, not sure which was louder.

And then she finally managed to slide his trunks down his hips, taking him into her hands when he came into view.

Finally.

This was the culmination of many years of dreaming. Of wanting to have been the one servicing Ned that day.

Ned stopped breathing as she stroked him, eyes going darker, breath coming harder to get at.

"I saw you," she finally whispered, leaning close so that her breasts pressed against his chest.

"What?" He managed.

"Remember it," she urged, kissing his lips. "That day at the beach. You left...to jerk off."

A light went off in Ned's eyes.

"I followed you," she confessed. "I saw you and you were freaking _hung_ , Ned. Oh my god. I almost had a heart attack watching you come. And I wanted to be the one doing it."

"So you were there," Ned said. "I thought I saw you but I wasn't sure. I got so drunk that night, trying to dismiss those thoughts."

He gasped a little as she stroked him harder, faster, and then flipped her so he could untie the other string to her bottom.

"Let me enter you," he said, and she finally nodded, releasing him, letting him into her center.

"I never figured it out," she moaned as he moved inside her, finally reaching the point of pleasure for her, making her cry out.

"What?" He asked.

"I looked at your phone," she gasped, trying to get the words out as his hands once again found her taut nipples. "You didn't have a girlfriend. There were no sexts. Who...were...you...jerking off to?"

They came then, Ned finally reaching her spot again, making her buck against him and explode in a crown of stars, Ned following shortly, falling against her, gasping.

"It was you," he whispered, voice hoarse. "I couldn't fucking take my eyes off of you in that bikini. I finally remember. I was so hard. I just to get myself in control."

She moaned as he sucked at her shoulder. "That is so unbelievable," she whispered.

"And wrong; you were fourteen," he said.

"Age is but a number," she managed.

"Not in cases of statutory rape it isn't, not to mention our parents killing us," Ned said.

Katie grinned. "Fine. It wouldn't have been a good idea. But god. I wanted to, Ned."

"And now you have," he hissed out a breath as she found him again.

"Then let me join you," she purred, wiggling out from beneath him. "Let me take you all the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was, hopefully obviously, a sequel of sorts to the previous chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Ned bit his lip, considering all of the options.

There was a) actually get some sleep tonight.

There was b) have a wild night with Katie and possibly reinjure himself.

There was c) have a gentle night with Katie and _not_ reinjure himself.

He burst out laughing. There was no way in hell that c) was even possible.

"What do you have to laugh about?" Katie asked, chopping vegetables across the room. "You've got a broken arm and cracked ribs."

"Well, there's the fact that my fiance actually volunteered to make dinner for me," he said slyly, not even daring to mention the real reason for fear of getting an onion thrown at him. He could imagine her saying, very huffily, that yes, she could treat him gently if it was needed.

So gently that she wouldn't even touch him.

Which would leave a). An option that Ned didn't really want, contrary to the fact that he was exhausted.

He managed to shift on his seat on the couch, feeling the tenderness of his ribs and biting back a moan. Not in a good way.

Getting shot was an utter bitch.

"You okay?" Katie was suddenly by his side, carrying a glass of water.

"Not beer?" He asked.

"As if," she snorted, very carefully settling next to him on the couch. "The vegetables are all in the pot and we just have to wait now."

"Thank you for making dinner," he said, and her lips touched his.

"Mm, I was glad to," she whispered. "It made me feel like we were already married."

He twisted the ring around her finger. "Just a month to go," he said, and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Any thoughts on what we could do while we wait for the soup to get done?" Katie wondered, hands already going to the buttons on her shirt.

"Oh, Katie, you'll have to treat me gently," Ned said, forcing the admission from his mouth.

"I know," she said, pressing a kiss to his neck.

He leaned into the kiss, before pulling back a little. "Don't get me wrong," he said, a little breathlessly because the buttons on her shirt were quickly becoming undone. "But you seriously have to not even, um, excite me too much because the slightest shift...fuck."

Her hands stalled on her shirt. "You okay?" She asked, leaning forward, breasts brushing his arm as she looked at his ribs in worry.

"I just moved too much," Ned said, biting back the pain. "Oh god. Jim said it would be better tomorrow and he'd better be fucking right."

"Of course he's right, he's my father," Katie whispered. "Okay, I'll go slow. Let you get used to every...single...inch of skin."

"Thank you," Ned gasped, as she carefully finished taking her shirt off.

"You might want to lie back," she said, very slowly reaching to place a hand on his thigh. "Do you want help with that?"

"I might need it," he said, and she very tenderly helped him ease back onto the couch, hands gentle and slow.

He was flat on his back, and Katie smiled at him. "Ready for some more slow-mo undressing?"

"Yes please," he said, turning his head as she stood to the side of him, in only her denim mini skirt now.

She unzipped it, drawing the motion out, until Ned felt like his heart would burst out of his chest from anticipation.

She wiggled it down her hips, turning so that he could focus on her ass being revealed as she did so, and Ned moaned in appreciation.

She leaned over him, placing her knees on either side of his hips and her hands on either side of his shoulders, giving him such a fantastic view he wasn't sure he could take this.

"Are you really up for this?" Katie finally asked, frowning at him. "You look like you're in pain. And it is only your first night home from the hospital."

"I'm fine," he said; insisted on, with Katie this close.

"I was really scared, you know," she whispered, playing with the belt buckle on his pants. "I couldn't breathe. My dad told me that he saw you coming in and my heart just stopped, Ned. I thought..." She leaned to press a kiss to his forehead. "I thought I'd lost you forever. Before we'd even gotten married. And when I heard you were okay, I almost called our pastor then and there to get him to come down to the hospital and marry us, because I was not going to take that risk again."

There were tears in her eyes; they splashed onto his face.

"Katie, I'm fine," he said. "Why'd you doubt it? Bullets cannot stop true love. They can only slow it. And I fully intend to see you walk down that aisle."

She let out a relieved laugh. "Now you're quoting _The Princess Bride_. You really must not be okay."

"I'm fine," he protested.

"You hate that movie," she said.

"Well, maybe I don't mind it so much anymore," he said, daring to place his hands on her back. "Now that it makes more sense to me."

Her eyes softened and she carefully leaned to kiss him, being careful so as to not put any weight on his stomach.

He could get used to this. Her ass was in the air and fully flexed, and he was able to cup it, feel it, urge her closer.

She giggled against his mouth. "You're actually enjoying this maneuvering," she said.

"Of course," he said. "I'd enjoy any maneuvering when it comes to you."

He could feel her breasts press into his chest, and then she sat up again, raising up on her knees, straddling him but not letting any of her weight touch him.

That was actually kind of a let down.

She reached behind her, chest jutting out, and unclipped her bra, making a beautiful show of it, lowering her breasts back down to his mouth, letting him taste and pleasure them.

She sighed as his tongue slipped around one nipple, and he again reached to grab her ass, so firm and rounded.

"This isn't going to work," she finally gasped, pulling back. "There's no way I can get inside me without injuring you further."

"So?" Ned panted, reaching out for her.

"We're just going to have to try something else," Katie said.

With that, she pushed herself off of the couch. "First, you need your pants off," she said, and they took several minutes getting his jeans off. It was a difficult task made more difficult by his raging erection.

He gasped as his jeans were finally off of him, and she tugged his boxers down, before stepping out of her panties and letting them join his boxers on the floor.

"Now what?" He asked, admiring her toned body.

He was still wearing his shirt but they weren't getting that off. That war could come tomorrow or the next day...whenever Katie decided that he'd have to shower.

"Now, this," Katie purred, spreading his legs.

"This could work," Ned panted as she moved in between them.

"No, the thrusting would hurt your ribs and you know it," Katie said, reaching to take him in hand.

He moaned. "I don't care," he said. "I want this. I want to bring you to climax. I need to make you orgasm, Katie."

"You can," she said, blowing lightly over his erection and he raged against her hand. "In a minute."

He let his protests fall away as she continued to stroke him, bringing him closer and closer, making him ever harder. "Oh, Katie," he whispered. "Oh, god, Katie."

"You wanted to be inside me?" She purred, sliding down. "You can, then."

He closed his eyes tight as she slid him into his mouth, unable to bear the sensations, unable to cling much longer, and then he came, thrusting into her mouth.

Her head finally came up, and the look on her face made instantly hard again.

"Your turn," she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Freely admit that it should be longer but I spent a good five minutes typing sentences and deleting them and eventually just gave up. This is as far as my muse shall lead me tonight. The rest will have to be your imagination.


	7. New

The day was light and breezy, the sun beat down at just the right amount; it was the perfect day for an informal barbeque.

Ned stood outside, arm around his fiance, as Katie spoke to Tim about how her job hunt was going. "I really want to find a job before I graduate," she said. "Which is still a few years off but still."

"Employment is important," Tim agreed.

"I've been asking around and the principal at Grandview High most definitely has my number now," Katie said happily. "Mrs. Major is thinking of retiring and I begged her not to until I've graduated so that he hires me." She grinned at Ned, bouncing a little in her excitement. "It would just be so perfect. I'd be so lucky if I got the job."

"I'll put in a word with him," Tim said agreeably. "Once Mrs. Major actually announces it, of course."

"And once I've graduated," Katie enthused.

Delia came up, grinning at Ned and Katie; she'd probably given up hope of ever seeing them quite this happy and in love but here they were, clinging to each other, in love and ready for everyone to see.

"Hey, you guys, stop hiding in the corner," Delia said. "Everyone wants to see your ring, Katie."

"I know, but everyone has," Katie said.

"So they want to see it again," Delia said. "I know that I do."

Katie pressed a quick kiss to Ned's cheek. "Okay, I'll go show myself off," she said, dimples showing. "Though it may be hard to tear myself away from your son."

"That's okay," Delia said. "As long as you do."

"You're always taking her from me," Ned mock complained, hanging onto Katie's hand until she slipped away, going to talk to some family friends.

He sighed, a grin on his face, turning around to see Jim at the grill, and jogged up the steps to the deck. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," Jim replied. "Feeling good?"

"Yeah," Ned said.

"Not feeling Derek's latest workout too much?" Jim questioned.

"Just a little in my shoulders," Ned said.

Jim smiled. "I'm not so lucky," he said. "Sore from my shoulder to my elbow."

"At least you can probably use that as an excuse to get Melinda to give a massage," Ned teased.

Jim smiled wider. "Don't think I haven't been thinking about that exact thing," he said.

Ned chuckled, still amazed that he and Jim talked about sex so casually. But Melinda had always encouraged openness about such topics, saying that hiding things was no way to go; you should celebrate your sexuality, no matter what it was.

It was a good position to have, he reflected.

Melinda came out onto the deck, wearing a white dress with pink flowers on it; it was fitted and was showing her figure out to a remarkable advantage. She patted Jim's shoulder as she walked by, but was speedwalking to the picnic tables set up, a platter of food in her hands.

"Have I ever told you how glad I am that Katie got her mother's...genes?" Ned said.

"Okay, Katie is fair game but don't ogle Melinda," Jim scolded playfully. "We're both lucky men to have gotten the women we did. Don't ruin it, Ned. There's still time."

"As long as you don't," Ned teased. "There's still time for you, too."

"Don't even mention that," Jim said, mock shuddering. "But seriously, don't."

"I won't," Ned said. "So stop trying to jinx me."

"I'm not, I'm trying to keep you on the right track," Jim protested. "I have never seen Katie so happy as she is today and that's you, Ned. She loves her family, sure, but there is nothing quite like being with your best friend as you two are."

"Being as in...being?" Ned said.

Jim raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that Melinda and I can't tell that you two had sex right before coming here? Please, Ned."

Ned flushed. "Yeah, so maybe there was quickie in the car."

"The car," Jim crowed. "I wasn't expecting that, at least."

"Are we seriously talking about this?" Ned said.

"Why do you get embarrassed before I do?" Jim chuckled. "I thought I was supposed to be the prude."

"I'm not a prude, I just…" Ned trailed off, as Melinda hurried back up the steps to the deck. He saw the way that Jim straightened when she walked up, how his eyes watched her every move, how he moved closer to her as if without realizing it. How he immediately reached to slip an arm around her.

Ned wondered if he looked that crazy in love when he looked at Katie, and, spying her across the lawn, knew that he had to, because he felt crazy.

He was crazy. He still wasn't sure how Katie had come back into his life so perfectly, or how he'd managed to keep it together, or how they were going to be together forever and nothing would tear them apart. Nothing.

* * *

"Can we watch this together?" Katie asked, holding a DVD out.

"Sure," he said immediately, and she inserted it into her laptop.

"You need a TV," she sighed, moving to lie on her stomach. "I ate so much today. I feel sick."

Ned laughed, massaging her back a little from where he sat on the bed. "Your dad makes a mean barbecue," he admitted. "Damn, those ribs were tender."

"The ribs? I'm talking about those burgers he got from the farmer's market," Katie enthused. "I have never eaten such good beef...or as much."

The DVD title menu showed and she hit play. "I love Mirror Mirror," she said happily. "Armie and Lily are so cute together."

"It's a better Snow White envisioning than Snow White and the Huntsman," Ned agreed, leaning back on the bed as Katie, on her stomach, watched her laptop screen as Julia Roberts began to narrate.

He wasn't really watching the screen. He was watching Katie. She was wearing leggings because of her stomach ache, and a flowy crop top.

He shifted a little closer, watching her breathe, how she'd shift and her ass would go in the air for a moment.

This was a really good view.

She had such a nice ass, he admitted, his hand flexing as though it was beneath it right now. Round and firm, more than cupable. He finally gave in, reaching his hand forward and just resting it on the swell of her, cupping it, running his thumb over it.

"What are you doing, Ned?" She asked, after a few minutes.

"I'm not trying to distract you," he said. "I'm just...enjoying this moment."

"Okay," she said, smiling a little at him over her shoulder before returning her attention to the movie; Armie Hammer was now upside down hanging from a tree.

Ned chuckled a little, his hand roaming over her ass, covering as much area as possible. She...was...so...perfect.

He really wanted her, but she had a stomach ache and was watching a movie so he didn't want to bother her; he wanted to prove that their relationship was more than sex. And it was.

It was just hard to keep his hands to himself. All the freaking time.

He leaned forward, flipping onto his stomach to watch the movie with her.

It only lasted a second.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked.

"Don't you want to watch this?" He asked.

Onscreen, Lily and Armie were dancing.

"Yeah, but that was kind of nice," she said, eyes unreadable.

"Okay," he said slowly.

"Well, whatever, if you don't want to," she mumbled. "If you got bored."

She turned back to the movie, a frown on her brow.

"Are you seriously thinking that I got bored of your ass?" He asked.

"Don't even ask that," Katie said.

"Look at me, Katiecat," he said, the never before used nickname sliding off his tongue, and he rolled onto his side. "Does this look like bored to you?"

She grinned to see his erection bulging through his jeans. "Well, maybe not," she said. "Why'd you stop then?"

"Because you have a stomach ache and were watching a movie and I didn't want you to think I have a one track mind," Ned said.

"You do," she teased. "But then again, so do I."

She licked her lips, looking straight at him, ignoring what was going on onscreen.

"Oh?" He asked, swallowing a little.

"I've got a really good idea," she said. "You continue doing what you were doing and we finish the movie."

"Okay," he said, hiding his disappointment well.

She grinned, before arching her hips up and starting to peel her leggings down.

"What are you doing?" He asked, as the sight of her bare skin came into view. She hadn't been wearing panties.

How had he missed that?

He loved her ass. He remembered that all over again as she wiggled out of her leggings and cast them onto the floor, flopping back onto her stomach, leaving her ass deliciously bare.

"I want to make the most of it," she said.

The rise and swell of her ass was art itself, he reflected, sliding his hand down one cheek and up the other. He palmed one, then palmed the other, before using both hands so he could cup both at the same time.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her hipbone. "I love your ass, Katie," he whispered, kissing up til he was at the tip of one cheek. "I really do."

He kissed down the right one, nipping a little at the skin there.

She wiggled underneath him, and he laughed against her skin, which made her gasp a little and try to roll over.

"Nuh uh," he said, gently pushing her back down. "You said you wanted to watch your movie."

"But you can't go down on me if I'm on my stomach," she gasped, spreading her legs from where she was.

He chuckled darkly against her skin, making her moan. "Ned, you're going to kill me," she gasped, bucking up against his mouth.

"Calm down," he whispered. "I've got a plan so just stay where you are."

He moved back, peeling his shirt over his head and his pants off, grunting a little as they brushed his erection.

"Do you want help putting a condom on?" She asked, disobeying his order and turning her head to watch him.

She was staring. She loved his junk and he loved hers and all was right with the world but the look in her eye was making him even harder and a bit afraid that he'd finish before she did.

"I can do it," he gasped. "What about Armie and Lily?"

She watched as he rolled a condom on, her breathing quickening. "Um…" She said, turning back to the screen. "Yeah, sure," she mumbled.

He gingerly moved between her legs, and she gasped.

"Oh, fuck, Ned, this was a good idea," she whispered as he began to enter her from behind, the angle new to him, and he had to work to get it right.

On screen, Katie had skipped due to boredom and now Lily and Armie were swordfighting.

Ned almost chuckled when Armie's sword caught Lily on the ass but then he moaned instead, as Katie moved against him, gasping, tight and trying to get him more fully inside her.

"You feel so good," she panted. "You always feel so good."

He moved harder, faster, increasing the tempo. She moaned. "I need just a bit more," she gasped, pleaded.

He slid a hand down, slipping it inside her, finding the spot. She screamed into the bed, shuddering around him, and he came shattering into her, gasping.

There was a thud. The laptop had fallen onto the floor.

Katie giggled. "Well, that was enthusiastic," she said.

"As if I could be anything but," Ned whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

Asher lay in his crib, finally asleep, and a frazzled Katie flopped onto her back on the bed, sighing and staring up at the ceiling.

She was exhausted. It seemed like the teething baby had never stopped crying that day, no matter what home remedies she'd pulled from her mother to use on him.

She pulled her knees into her chest, swinging up to a seated position.

She'd spent the day with a cranky five month old. She was damn ready for some adult company and by adult…

She really meant Ned.

She _really_ meant Ned.

She got off the bed, looking at herself in the mirror, biting her lip. She didn't look that bad...did she?

Her hair was in a very sloppy ponytail and she grabbed her brush to fix that, sweeping her hair into a new side bun, a style that Ned had commented on before as being pretty.

And her clothes...well, she could do something about those too.

What she was worried about was the dark circles under her eyes, and the still not completely lost weight around her midsection.

She walked to the kitchen, pulling out a cucumber and slicing two slices to put over her eyes, hoping it would actually help, pulling out her cell phone as she did so and rereading Ned's text from earlier. _**Have the late shift, sorry we didn't get to talk this morning, love you, will be out til ten since I have to wait on O'Reilly.**_

Darn it. It was only eight now. She had two whole hours to wait for him.

Two whole hours to ruminate on just how unattractive she'd become in these past few weeks of Asher teething.

She refused to let herself go there, though, remembering how Ned always and still looked at her, reminding herself with a fierceness that surprised herself. She'd always had a decent amount of body confidence; post pregnancy could make anyone feel glum, but she was surprised at how easily she seemed to be channeling her mother...Melinda, who birthed five children and never once seemed to complain about how she looked during or after. That could be because she always looked flawless, or because Jim was so in lust and love with her that she never doubted her attraction, or simply because she recognized what a miracle new life was, and how no one should regret the sacrifices one made for it.

Katie pulled off the particularly depressing sweatpants and drooled on tank top combo, slipping into shorts that (thank you, God and whoever invented pilates) somehow fit, and a lacy bra that didn't...courtesy of her milk swollen breasts.

But then again...that wasn't something Ned would ever complain about.

She leaned back on the bed, reaching for her cell phone and going to the camera feature, switching to the front camera and seeing how it gazed down at her.

She didn't have the most expensive model of phone but it did, admittedly, have a nice camera, most of the reason she'd chosen this one.

She tried out a few poses that she just didn't like, one of her arching her back that she couldn't actually take a picture with, and then one of mostly her breasts that she just didn't like the thought of in case one of his coworkers saw his phone.

Something just a bit more lowkey, so that if seen over a distance you couldn't necessarily see that it was a sext.

She rolled onto one side, holding her phone carefully. The bra was unsnapped in the back (it didn't snap anymore) and her breasts were overflowing the lacy cups.

Her face was just visible above it, her shoulder jutting into the frame, and Katie snapped the picture.

She sent it without letting herself think twice, and then, before she could help herself, got another shot of her legs, eagle spread, and her stomach.

She sent that too, even quicker this time, not letting herself dwell on the how flat her stomach wasn't.

* * *

A completely bored out of his mind Ned leaned on his hand, trying to keep awake as his partner droned on about procedure.

His phone buzzed and he slipped it from his jacket pocket, stifling a yawn as he unlocked it, keying in his pin, 0119, for the day that his first son was born...and died.

It was a constant, bittersweet reminder of Charlie that Ned cherished; would always cherish.

There was a new text alert and Ned hit on it, yawning again, and then almost jumped out of his seat, his mind instantly alert, along with other parts of his anatomy.

Katie.

And what she most definitely was ready to do tonight, something he hadn't anticipated at all considering that Asher was teething and he was ready to be sympathetic and cuddly for her, instead of as seductive and needy as he felt.

The picture. Oh, the picture. His favorite bra very obviously not fastened in the back, with a glimpse of the lacy cups in the front, overflowing with the bounty that was Katie.

He was still glancing at it, wide eyed, when another text came in, and he opened it with lightning speed, swallowing a moan when he saw the picture of her spread apart legs, waiting, opened for him.

"Hey, Banks," Tyler said.

"Sorry," Ned said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "Sorry."

"What's up? Sexy pics from the wife?" Tyler asked.

Ned bit back the truth; he still wasn't sure about Tyler. "No, our son is teething and she's just worried about him, asked me to pick up a few things on the way home."

Tyler looked disappointed. "Oh. Well, it's about 8:15 here. Do you need to cut out early? I remember when my nephews were teething; it was not a nice time for my sister in law."

"Um, that's okay," Ned muttered, looking at his desk in utter boredom. His cell phone buzzed again and he fought hard against the blush threatening to rise on his cheeks as he carefully slid it out again, punching in the code, feeling antsy and like he needed to hide it from Tyler.

It was her hand, cupping one breast, and in the back of it he could almost see her other hand creeping towards her legs.

"He's just throwing a fit," Ned said, standing up in a hurry. "I'm sorry, but she wants me to run to the drug store and I just can't leave her hanging. You sure you can handle this?"

"Yeah, whatever," Tyler said, looking down at his own phone.

Ned almost dived from the building, racing to his pickup and jumping into the front seat, grinning and deciding to send Katie a pic of his own.

 **On the job, can't make it home until later,** he texted back, even as he gunned the engine to race home to her. **TY for the motivation tho. Love you.**

He got a shot of himself, leaning on his seat and looking subdued, sending it to her, hoping that she wouldn't recognize the truck. Though if she did, that would be fun too, if she figured out his surprise.

Then he might get her waiting for him.

He got another text.

 _ **Sucks to be you.**_ He waited a beat and then a picture came in, and she was most definitely touching herself.

He wanted to be home before she came.

* * *

Katie sighed, putting her phone away, and rolling onto one side. Well, that had failed. At this point she just felt tired; getting shot down by her (admittedly) busy husband took more out of her than she'd thought it would and she just didn't feel like it.

She got out of bed, pulling her shorts off and slipping a clean pair of Ned's boxers on instead; that took some considering wiggling around the hips but sometimes she just wanted to feel near to him.

She grabbed a stuffed bear of Asher's; an oversized one that had been a gift from Aaron, and pulled the bear into bed with her, cuddling up with it, wedging one large bear leg in between hers because she felt lonely.

"You understand me, bear," she whispered, leaning her head into his broad chest. "You love me no matter what."

The bear remained silent and didn't curl his arms around her.

That was the problem with stuffed things.

Her cat wandered into the room, jumping onto the bed and walking around her leg. "Hey, Stitches," she murmured, kicking the bear off of the bed and pulling a surprisingly cuddly cat into her arms, soft cat chin pressed against her cheek and a loud purr echoing in her ears. The embrace lasted about two minutes before the cat started to struggle, and Katie let him go.

She was about to pick up the bear again when she heard the door downstairs open, panicking.

She was wearing a bra that didn't fasten and Ned's boxers. Even as understanding as her parents were, she didn't want them seeing her like this.

And the other option…

Who the hell was here?

Damn it, they didn't have a baseball bat in the bedroom.

She grabbed her cell phone, fumbling for the buttons.

Ned, someone is in the house.

She was amazed at the lack of typos as she sent it off, hearing footsteps on the stairs and panicking more now, throwing herself at the door and shoving it closed, pressing her body against it.

The bedroom door didn't have a lock.

And Stitches had left.

Goddamn it, the bastard had better leave Stitches alone. At least she had Asher in here with her.

It was at that moment that she heard Ned's cell phone chime, freezing a little.

"You asshole!" She shrieked, jumping to her feet and flinging the door open, immediately diving at her surprised husband, throwing her arms and legs around him.

His balance wavered only a moment before wrapping his arms around her, lips finding hers in an instant.

It was like chocolate. It was like eating her favorite dessert but knowing that there was more left, an unending supply. It was like kissing her husband with all the pent up passion she could muster, knowing that she'd never have to stop.

He carried her into the bedroom, dropping her on the bed, hands moving over her and slipping off the already precarious bra, fingers finding her nipples and toying with them, tugging on them until they were aching and ready for him; until she felt a telltale trickle of milk come from them and a hot flush stained her cheeks.

Ned pulled away, feeling it too.

"Hey," he whispered, gazing down at her.

"You lied," she whispered back, darting her head up to kiss his chin and he smiled.

"I did, but I thought you'd notice that it was my truck, and not a police car," Ned said, his lips trailing down her neck.

"I was too depressed," Katie admitted.

"Then I'm sorry," he said sincerely, reaching her breasts and kissing the tops of each one. "Can I make it up to you?"

"You already are, just by being here," she said. "Just next time...the response I was hoping for was that wild horses couldn't keep you away."

"Duly noted," he said, eyes shining with love for her, before ducking to her nipples and sucking lightly, being careful to not cause her to lactate more than she already had.

"I love you in your uniform," she sighed, hands threading through his hair, keeping his head on her chest.

"I love you in yours," he said wickedly, fingers hooking into her waistband. "Are these mine?"

"Who else could they belong to?" She asked as he wiggled them down her hips, pausing to let his fingers caress each bared inch of skin.

"I love you," he muttered, letting his lips go farther down, lingering over her stomach, and the scars there. "I love these too," he whispered. "Forever."

She felt tears come to her eyes. "We'll see him again," she assured Ned, and felt him nod against her before going farther down.

"Oh, yes," he sighed, reaching her core. "I've missed this."

"Really?" She said, such honest delight in her voice that she surprised both of them.

He leaned down and let his mouth heat her. "Really," he said, voice deep with desire.

She literally purred when his mouth touched her, and then squeaked in the back of her throat when he delved deeper, again grabbing onto his hair to keep her steady.

Her thighs moved up in response to his ministrations, until they were cradling his head.

He moaned, pulling away a little, leaving her gasping. "Your thighs are unbearably soft," he whispered, eyes dark, running his hands along them and guiding them back flat on the bed, kissing down one before returning to her core.

She loved him. So much.

"Kiss me," she begged as she got closer.

"I thought I was," he broke away to say.

"Um, I want you to finish inside me," she panted, as his mouth found her again, bucking against him.

"I can do that later," he said. "Promise."

"You seriously…" Her voice trailed off as his tongue swirled around her, and then she came, exploding into his mouth.

He pulled away, propping his chin on his hand. "So. Any good?"

"Come here," she whispered, and tried to unbutton his shirt, desperate to get him unclothed.

He pulled away, chuckling. "I'll take that as a yes," he said and pulled his clothes off for her, too desperate himself at this point to make a tease of it, just yanking them off ASAP.

And if Katie was entirely honest, that was almost more sexy at this point.

She wended her way to the edge of the bed, and Ned startled to find her right there, a grin curling his face that abruptly disappeared when she took hold of his shaft.

"Sit on the bed," she whispered, letting him go, and he moved there, just staring at her.

"I thought you wanted me to finish inside you," he gasped as she slid off the bed, crawling towards him.

"There's time for that later," she purred, and took him into her mouth.

Because, really, there was. All the time in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, you were hoping for more at the end but it just seemed like a good place to stop there, so stop I did.


	9. Faking It

"Thank you so much for doing this," Katie said, climbing into Ned's car. "You really didn't have to."

He blinked, not having seen her run up to the car, and jerked in his seat, almost sending her back into the house to change her clothes. She was wearing denim shorts, shorts that were so short they shouldn't qualify as an article of clothing, and a crop top, which only emphasized her figure even more.

"You did ask your parents first, right?" Ned asked, starting the car again.

"Yeah, and they can't make it this weekend," Katie said. "And mom was disappointed because it's my first dance of the school year, but she agreed that I need a dress, so she said to see if Hannah's mom was buying Hannah a new dress, but Hannah has a dress and her mother doesn't like driving, so I just decided to ask you."

"Then I'm glad I could help out," Ned said, clearing his throat a little, forcing his eyes to stay on the road and not fall to Katie's bare thighs. "So. A sophomore."

"I know, I can't believe it," she chattered. "I'm finally going to be something at this school. Last year was so miserable, but now I'm a sophomore!"

"How's that been going for you so far?" Ned chuckled.

"Well, there are a few jerks around," Katie said, dismissing it. "So far it hasn't been as cool as I'd planned it to be but I still think that it will get better."

"What do you mean?" Ned asked.

"There's this guy I dated, Henry," Katie said. "And he started this rumor about me just before school started so now everyone is kind of looking at me funny."

"What kind of rumor?" Ned asked, voice soft and just the slightest bit dangerous.

"It doesn't matter," Katie said, flipping her hair. "Anyway, Hannah is going with Brandon to the dance and I'm going alone but I still want a really nice dress so can we go all the way to the Ashburn Mall?"

"Of course," he said. "I mean, I've got all weekend to do nothing so I don't mind the extra time driving."

"Thanks," she said, a bit shyly, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. "And you don't have to, like, go into the stores with me or anything. You can just hang out in the arcade or food court."

* * *

Katie at the mall reminded Ned that she was only fifteen. Fifteen was still young, even if she had the body of a grown woman.

She was almost dancing around, obviously glad to be in such a huge place with such a variety of stores, pointing out a store that seemed to be entirely full of teddy bears and grabbing his arm when she saw the fountain. "I know it's fake," she said, gazing at it. "But it's such an eye catcher, and no wonder. I just love this place."

He laughed, before said laugh was shortened by the fact that her hand was still on his arm, holding tight to the muscle there.

He turned his head, and she saw him looking, her hand slipping away; a blush staining her cheeks.

"I don't mind going into the stores with you," he said. "I don't have cash for the arcade so I really don't care."

"Um, okay," Katie said. Again shy, she brushed her hair back again. "I guess I wouldn't mind an opinion besides the salesgirl's and she'd say I'd look good in a sack if it would get her a commission."

Ned smiled, loving her sarcastic wit, and then again his smile disappeared; this time from the thought of her in a sack, all legs and arms and bare skin.

They went into one store, full of mini dresses that Ned honestly thought were hideous and felt quietly satisfied when Katie seemed to think so too, leading them back outside.

They weaved into several stores before Ned noticed someone following them; a teenage boy, a bit too well built for Ned to dismiss him lightly.

"Who's that?" He finally asked after they left Abercrombie and Fitch.

"Who?" She asked, head jerking and she startled when she saw him. "Henry. What is he doing here?"

"Rumor Henry?" Ned asked.

"Yeah," she said, folding her arms and looking slightly nervous.

"Let's go to the next store," he said. "Maybe I will go to the food court."

"Oh, no," Katie said, perhaps seeing something in the set of his jaw that reminded her a little too much of her father and how similar his reaction would be. "Besides, this store actually looks promising and I can tell that there'll be more than a few dresses I'll want to try on and need an opinion on."

"Fine," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder as they walked.

If she objected, she didn't say anything, or show a reaction beyond looking at it a moment too long, perhaps recognizing what he was doing.

Claiming her.

He was claiming her.

In Katie's mind it was just to protect her from Henry's angry gaze, but in Ned's mind it was much more than that.

* * *

Katie knew that she hadn't been mistaken the instant she walked into the little boutique. It wasn't a chain store, for one, and there were actually some cute dresses.

She immediately picked out five, heading for the changing rooms.

Ned was being so nice today. It was actually kind of surprising, but he was being patient and easygoing about, well, everything. And even offering to actually help her pick out a dress to wear...that was definitely something new and different for Ned. Something that she very much appreciated and adored.

She took another peek at him, flushing a little as she remembered last year at the beach. Seeing him as she had, in the most intimate moment she'd ever witnessed him in…

She flushed, pulling her shirt over her head and tugging her shorts down her hips, sliding into the first one.

It was purple and sparkly, clinging in all the right places. She hurried out of the fitting room, spinning a little in the mirrors, almost forgetting that Ned was there.

She liked it. It was a little...cute but cute wasn't a bad thing, not always.

She turned around and caught Ned looking at her, perhaps a little too closely. "How do I look?" She asked, remembering that he'd stayed.

"Okay," he said. "I don't know. It's a bit…"

He walked forward onto the platform with her, the glimpse she got of them both in the every single mirror taking her breath away a little.

His hand landed on her shoulder, looking down at her, studying her face and shoulders.

"It's a bit, well, cute," he said. "And you look cute in it but I don't know."

"I thought the same thing," she admitted, and hurried back into the dressing room, feeling her cheeks flushing from how closely they'd been standing.

She pulled on the next one, a red one that made her blush a little. She knew for a fact that Melinda would never let her out of the house wearing this, but she couldn't help playing around in front of the mirror for a bit, tugging on the too short hem and tugging up the too low neckline.

There was no way that she'd go out there in front of Ned like this, and she started to pull it off.

"How's it going?" Ned called. "Do you need another size? That's what my mom always asks for."

"It's fine," she said.

"Show me the next one, I'm bored," he said.

She flung open the door, intending to yell at him but he was leaning on it and pitched inside with her, stumbling to catch his balance and suddenly she was pinned against the wall by him and their faces were way too close.

"Sorry," he gasped, his gaze very obviously caught by the very low neckline on her dress. "This one...maybe not this one."

"Hence why I wasn't coming out," she said, shoving him away from her and out of the dressing room.

She pulled the next few on, not liking any of them, feeling that her cheeks were way too hot to open the door.

"Ned?" She called, not wanting to go out again. "Can you find me a new one? Size two or four, either will fit. I don't care what you pick, I just want to leave this store with a purchase."

"Sure," Ned said.

A moment later a silver dress was slid over the door. It was slinky yet fitted, clinging to her in a way that didn't make her blush but definitely put a smile on her face.

She hesitantly opened the door, seeing him there. "Do you like it?" She asked.

He blinked at her, his mouth falling open. "Yeah, you look good," he stammered. "Um. Ready to go now?"

"Just let me change," she said, relieved.

* * *

They walked through the mall, bag securely over Katie's arm, when Ned again noticed Henry following them. The boy was even closer now, just staring at them.

"He's still following us," Ned said. "What the hell is his problem?"

"Please, it's not worth it," Katie said. "He'll just make everything worse if you talk to him."

"Then there's only one thing to do," Ned said, eyes piercing her. "Show him that you have a new boyfriend."

"What?" She gasped. "What are you talking about?"

"If he won't listen to reason then we'll just show him that he's got no chance with you again," Ned said. "Put your hand in my back pocket."

"Do you think it'll work?" Katie asked, wide eyed.

"It's worth a try to get him to stop stalking you," Ned said. "And maybe he'll back off if he sees you with another guy who's actually with you."

* * *

She hesitantly slid her hand over his ass, slipping it into his pocket, feeling him do the same, as he guided her nearer to him. She couldn't believe how much they had to look like a couple right now; how she actually felt like a couple, one half of a couple with Ned Banks.

This wasn't actually happening, was it? And it wouldn't last. But she couldn't help leaning into it, splaying her fingers over his butt cheek, feeling the swell of it. God, he had to work out a ton to have this much definition down there.

She could feel him stiffening a little under her touch and quickly toned it down, feeling like she was taking advantage of him until she felt him return the favor.

"Make it look more real," he whispered.

"He's still following," Katie said softly.

"Then we'll have to get real," Ned said, turning the corner and spinning her against the wall. "I'm really good at stage kisses."

He angled his head differently, pressing his thumb against her lips and pressing his lips against his thumb. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he said quietly, his other hand creeping along on her back, going up and massaging one shoulder.

"You aren't," she whispered, ducking her head a little, and his head followed hers, as if in a real kiss, as if he was actually trying to follow her.

She gasped against his touch, as his hand moved down from her shoulder, gliding along her side, down to her hip.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Don't apologize," she almost whimpered, trying to press herself nearer to him but Ned's leg was acting suspiciously like a cock blocker. Maybe quite literally.

Oh god, was he feeling it too?

She could barely breathe, placing her hands on his neck, trying to get him to actually kiss her but he was pulling away with a gasp.

"Bit too real," he gasped. "I think he's gone, though."

Katie looked around at her surroundings, her eyes a little fuzzy, feeling distinctly thwarted. She had really, really wanted him to actually kiss her but he had so stubbornly kept them separate.

Of course. Of course he didn't feel anything. She was four years younger than him; when his birthday came around that changed to five.

They left the mall together, Katie feeling a bit disillusioned...but safe.

Ned kept her close to his side, guiding her through the parking lot, and keeping her close all the way home.

* * *

All the way home. Ned had to take her all the way home, and he couldn't imagine how he'd get her there without exploding. Without his heart and his pants literally bursting.

He hated how there was no way she could miss his boner, how there was only one option...take her home. Get her there.

And never fake kiss her again.

Never feel her silky soft thighs again, or her bare midriff, or her lips so close to touching his...his thumb on her lips.

She patted his arm as they neared home. "Hey, Ned," she said softly. "Thank you. I'll let you know how things turn out with Henry, I promise."

"Let me know if he gives you more trouble," he said, voice soft, eyes caught by the glory of her legs.

He pulled up in front of her house, idling the car. Katie started to get out but suddenly he really didn't like to see her go.

He really didn't.

"It was a good time," he said, and she turned around, just staring at him for a minute.

And then Jim was on the porch. "Is that you, Katiebug?"

"Gotta go," she said, beaming at him. "But you're the best, Ned. The utter best."

He didn't feel like the best, though, driving away. He felt like the worst.


	10. The Month Before That Time

New Year's Eve.

No, Ned corrected, carrying his tipsy wife into the house. New Year's Day.

He kicked the door shut behind them, carrying her up the stairs. Her head rested on his shoulder and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be getting some tonight.

But that was okay. They'd had a very active sex life recently, venting frustrations over dangers in Ned's job; a difficult arrest that had dragged on and on had made for very exciting nights for them as they both tried to forget the stress of his job.

And Archer was finally behind bars, Ned and Katie were safe, and she'd had too much to drink tonight in celebration.

That was okay with him.

He gently deposited her on the bed, pulling her heels off, his hands curling around her ankles.

"Can I have a foot massage before bed?" Katie asked sleepily.

"Sure," he said. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do," she said, grabbing his pillow and hugging it to her stomach.

He sat on the bed, his hands playing with her feet, rubbing carefully, digging his thumbs into the arches and Katie moaned.

"That feels good, thank you," she whispered. "I feel like I've been wearing these shoes for days and not hours."

He chuckled. "You look fine without heels, you know."

"Fine doesn't give you an hard on so bad we don't make it to the party on time," Katie chuckled.

"It has," Ned shrugged, his hands caressing her feet a little more gently.

"On the odd occasion," she shrugged. "Mm, I'm sleepy."

"Well, relax," he said. "And sleep."

She nodded. He finished the foot massage, slipping away from her.

"I want to take a shower before bed," he said softly.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Do you want me to turn the light out?"

"Nah, leave it on," she mumbled.

He walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind him and turning the water on hot. God, he was hard.

But they'd had sex yesterday about four times, four vastly different and erotic encounters, and she was tired and vaguely drunk and he didn't want to push her.

Yet somehow it felt like a betrayal to jerk off right now.

He undressed and slipping under the hot water, sighing. He needed to sleep tonight. Sleep and wake with her in the morning, pleasure her then. Save his wild fantasies for then.

He wrapped a towel around his waist, ready for bed, and walked into the bedroom.

The scene he walked in on was completely different from the one he'd walked out on. The light was dimmed, and Katie was sprawled across the bed, no longer wearing her black cocktail dress...or the plain nude bra and panties she'd worn earlier.

He swallowed, feeling himself swell in his towel, feeling her gaze shoot there and feeling him get even harder then.

She was wearing lacy black panties with these...ties going up around her waist, and it wasn't quite a thong, but there was zero coverage of her magnificent ass.

And the bra covering her breasts...was doing a terrible job at it. They were almost spilling out and she just looked delectable and he was just standing there.

"I thought you were sleepy," he stammered, crawling onto the bed with her.

"I had one more surprise for you," she said, eyes lidded. "I might have been faking just how drunk I was to get you to bring me home sooner."

He licked his lips, staring at her, eyes sweeping over her body, from her nearly bare breasts caught by a lacy bra and very fragile straps, to the black lace ribbons twisted around her waist, going down to form barely there panties.

"Oh, god, Katie," he whispered, and pressed his lips to her hip, slowly kissing up to her waist, and her arm, her shoulder and finally her lips.

The embrace was lazy, slow, unlike the frenziedness of earlier. Yesterday.

His arm slid around her, supporting her, bringing her nearer, unclipping her bra in one smooth move, hearing her sigh as he slipped it off.

"What?" He asked.

"You must not have liked it that much if you're already taking it off," she breathed, a teasing lilt in her voice.

"I'm not taking the panties off yet," he cautioned. "And I do like both articles, very..." He tossed the bra off of the bed, trailing kisses down her neck, his mouth hot against her skin. "Very..." His lips reached her breasts, kissing nearer to the center. "Much," he breathed, taking a hardened nipple into his mouth, sucking at it as his hands crept down to her hips, and then up to her waist, playing with the lace there.

Criss cross.

How was this supposed to come off?

His lips stayed on her breasts, making her sigh, press a hand into his head to keep it there, keep it on her.

His hands slid around the lace, looking for some sort of fastening, his fingers gliding over her, raising oosebumps in his wake.

She shivered, wiggling underneath him.

"Why are you taking so long?" She breathed.

"I can't find out how to take them off," he said.

"It's just like all the rest," she said, huffing a little and pulling away, sitting up, and his eyes followed her breasts, shiny from where he'd licked and tasted her. "It stretches. No ties or anything."

"Then lay back down," Ned said, and she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Oh, no, you lost your chance," she said, lightly shoving his chest so he fell back on the bed, yanking at his towel in almost the same instant, baring him to her.

"This is what I was looking for," she breathed, eyes dark, voice low. "We had sex four times yesterday and not once was it oral."

Ned groaned as she crawled between his legs, her bare breasts hitting his legs, and her breath hot on him long before she slipped him into her mouth.

He was continually in awe with how good being with Katie was, but never more so than when she was giving him oral. When there was no hesitancy, no awkwardness. When she just wanted to make him feel as good as he made her feel when he went down on her.

This was true partnership.

Her head bobbed over him and the view he was getting, of her head, and the arch of her back, traveling down to her nearly bare ass...oh, god, he was the luckiest man alive.

She continued to move over him, and he was getting harder, and her mouth was wet and warm, and he just came, unable to hold on any longer.

And the look on her face...oh god.

"You're getting it now," he growled, rolling her back on the bed, after a long moment of exhaustion, leaning in a pressing a hot kiss to her core, still covered by panties.

"Um, I thought I told you how to get them off," she whispered.

  
"Stop being so impatient," he breathed, his mouth hot against her and she moaned.

"I swear to god, Ned, if you do this while these are still on and they get ruined..." Her words trailed off when he finally hooked his fingers in the ribbons on the waist, yanking them down, baring her core to him.

And oh, god, he loved this view. Always would.

He growled, low in his throat, and she keened, bucking against him even before he'd moved in.

"You're going to fucking kill me, Ned Banks," she breathed.

"Nope," he said. "I'm going to make you come alive."

He pressed a lazy kiss to her inner thigh and finally edged closer, in towards her core, and she cried out again when his mouth landed there.

And she was very hot and very wet, and this was how he liked her, when he was so inside her he couldn't think straight, be it his mouth, hands or erection, and when she was so far gone she was screaming his name.

And oh, life was good when jobs were finished, over and done with.


	11. That Time

Ned was sick of this. Sick of being afraid, sick of fighting with Katie about it and sick of this job that he could never leave at the office.

He wanted...he needed...this job to keep him active, to engage his mind and his body, to help protect people, to help make him feel like he was making a difference in this tired old world, but sometimes, like today, the price felt too high.

"Arrow Lucas escaped from where they were transporting him to prison, the van crashed and he got away," LeTrai told him, his face serious. "I'm sure your mind has already told you where this can come to."

"Well, considering that he wants me dead, or wants me so miserable that I'd wish I was dead, yes," Ned said. "And considering that he's met my wife…"

He swallowed.

"We know that he'll try to make his way back to Grandview," LeTrai said. "We'll get twenty-four protection for Katie until he's caught. And you, Ned, aren't going anywhere without Jamison."

"I know," Ned sighed.

"We'll have guys at your house every hour; we all don't want to lose you or Katie," LeTrai said. A sneaky grin appeared on his face. "How could this department survive without Katie meeting you for lunch? And more than lunch."

"Be quiet," Ned said, standing up.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood, I see that I failed and it was off color, I apologize," LeTrai said.

"I'm just too stressed to laugh right now," Ned said. "I thought this was over." He scraped a hand over his forehead. "I'm not looking forward to telling Katie. Those weeks before his arrest were bad enough."

"I know, Ned," LeTrai said. "I'll get Thomas out there right now. He's got nothing else to do and I at least trust that greenhorn can watch a house."

"Thanks," Ned said. "I'll go talk to Jamison."

He left LeTrai's office, going to speak to his partner of three years. Jamison was 6'5", black, and the most muscled guy Ned had ever seen or met. He was also 62 years of age, and had given more to this department than Ned would ever fully know, but he knew that there was a case that no one spoke of, and a wife that Jamison was no longer in contact with...and Ned wasn't sure if she'd died or she'd left him; he'd never asked.

"Hey," Ned greeted Jamison, knowing that he'd have already heard.

"We've still got jobs to do," Jamison said, a bit sternly. All business, all the time. This job was his life.

"I just need to call Katie," Ned said.

"Make it quick, we have to speak to that guy Peters still," Jamison said.

Ned nodded, grabbing his gun and badge before leaving the station, not going to let himself be caught unawares.

He paced outside the station, hearing her phone ring, cell phone pressed to his ear. She'd been feeling sick today and had stayed home from school; didn't want to spread her cold germs around.

"Pick up, babe," he urged, and, finally, on the very final ring, she did.

"Hello?"

She didn't sound stuffed up anymore.

"Katie? It's Ned, obviously," he said.

"Hey, what're you calling for?" She asked. "Ooh, do you time between shifts? I'm literally only wearing a towel right now. I took this really steamy bath and my sinuses are all better and I feel so good, Ned, I swear."

At any other time her telling him this would have him harder than a rock. And even now he was definitely feeling something, reacting to the sultry tone, but panic overrode it. "I need to tell you something," he said, keeping his voice steady.

"What's that?" She whispered, voice low. "I'm drying off, Ned. My towel is slipping."

His eyes closed over the image, able to picture her perfect curves so clearly it was painful. "Arrow escaped," he finally blurted, unable to let her be in the dark any longer, trying to seduce him when, today of all days, he could not be distracted.

"What?" She said, and her voice was sharp with shock.

"The van crashed and he's on his way back here," Ned said. "Or at least that's what everyone is assuming. Considering what we know of him and what he said he'd do to me when I made the arrest."

"I thought this was over," Katie said. "Oh my god."

"They're sending some guys over right now, you're going to have 24 hour protection, just don't leave the house," Ned said. "Please, Katie."

"But I was going over to my parents' house tonight, you know that," Katie protested. "I was going to babysit Emma for them since Mack has that big swim meet and Emma, like me, has a cold so we were going to be sick together."

Ned rubbed his nose. "Just...okay. But tell the guy there before you leave and he'll go with you."

"Who's it going to be?" Katie sighed. "Do I even know him?"

"It's a rookie, we'll upgrade your security tomorrow when Arrow's closer to Grandview," Ned sighed. "Thomas Carr is his name. He's a decent guy; he knows his handbook well. He's lacking experience in, well, anything, but you'll be safe for tonight."

"Am I allowed to tell my parents that O'Neill escaped?" Katie asked.

"Yes, of course, just...I don't know," Ned sighed. "I miss you. I'm worried. I want to go home to you and push you back into the bathtub and just get in with you and pretend that the rest of the world doesn't exist." He softened his voice, pacing a little in the cold air. "I want to go back to New Years Eve when you had that surprise for me. When we were celebrating because Arrow was gone. I want to live that moment again when you stepped out of the bathroom and almost gave me a heart attack. God, Katie, I want to be with you."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special," Katie breathed. "I'm supposed to be worried for my life but all I want to do is have sex with my husband."

"Don't even," he pleaded. "I'll be home late tonight. We can...we can make love then."

"You wish," she whispered. "In my mood, it's going to be more like fucking. Love you."

The phone clicked off and Ned stared at it in his hand, in shock. God, his wife.

All the more reason to do his job, he reflected grimly. And do it well.

He was not going to let Arrow scare them again.

* * *

Katie could see the police car out the window and was surprised when no knock on the door followed its arrival; but, she supposed, he was a rookie and maybe didn't feel comfortable leaving the car. There was probably something about not letting your guard down in the booklet or whatever.

He played it by the rules, Ned had said.

She'd been here for hours now, restless and waiting, trying to watch her favorite movies, trying to read her favorite books but it just wasn't working. She cast aside North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, giving up. It was early, but still late enough that she could go over to her parents without it being too odd.

She walked out the door, tying a scarf around her neck, chilled by the cold day. It was early February, and the world was chilly.

She usually didn't mind this time of year but now it was dragging on. Bad things seemed to happen in the winter. She remembered Charlie and her heart pinched.

She didn't like winter much at all anymore. Not since before her marriage.

She waved to Thomas, trying to indicate that he should follow her, and thankfully he did, the squad car following her once she'd pulled out of the driveway, steering her car towards her parents house.

She reached it in plenty of time, going straight in from the cold, straight into pre-meet rush. Mackenzie was yelling to ask where her cap was and Lana was on her new tablet, ignoring the world around her for the game in front of her.

And her parents were conspicuously absent. "Hey, Lana," Katie greeted, walking forward and picking Emma up. She had just turned two, and she smiled wide to see her big sister.

"Katie!" She cried, flinging her arms tight around Katie's neck.

Charlie would have been so like her.

Katie buried her head in Emma's sweet baby neck, breathing in that funny scent that only babies had.

"Aren't you guys leaving soon?" Katie asked. "Where are mom and dad?"

"In the bedroom," Lana said, planting a new sunflower in her garden in Plants vs. Zombies.

Just as she said that, there was a thump from upstairs.

"Oh, brother," Katie said.

A few moments later, Jim came tumbling down the stairs, pulling his jacket on and pretending that he hadn't just been doing what he'd been doing.

"You're early," he commented.

"I am," Katie said. "You're late."

"Your mom was taking her time coming," Jim said slyly and she slapped his shoulder.

"Don't tell me things like this," Katie said.

"You asked," Jim said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Okay, so we're off. You are looking after Ems, and we're all good here, especially since Mack wanted to leave early and is mad at us, so we need to be leaving."

Mackenzie grabbed the keys on her way through the kitchen. "I'm going to start the car so it's warm," she said, running through the house out the back door.

"Would you mind watching Lana too?" Jim said. "I think Mack needs your mother and I to make up for our distraction today."

"I'd love to watch Lana too," Katie said delightedly. "So you guys just go on."

"Tell your mom I'm pulling the car to the front," Jim said. "Love you and thanks. We'll probably go out for ice cream after or something, whatever Kenz is in the mood for."

He went outside, pulling his coat on, just as Melinda hurried down the stairs in a jean skirt and black tights, brown leather high heeled boots on her feet.

Well. If that was what she'd been wearing when her father got home, no wonder they'd been delayed.

"Hey, Katie, Kenz is mad at us, I think," Melinda said. "We just got distracted. You know how it is."

"I do," Katie smiled.

"I'm glad you came here early then," Melinda said.

"Dad drove the car to the front," Katie told her mother and Melinda rapidly reversed directions, pulling on a brown wool coat.

She pressed a kiss to Emma's cheek. "Love you girls, and don't play on that too long, Lana." She frowned at Katie as she opened the door. "Aaron somehow got her hooked on this weird zombie game and it drives me nuts. Okay, got to go."

She slammed the door behind her, and Katie heard her running steps.

She walked into the front room, realizing in a startled moment that she hadn't told her parents about Arrow.

It would be fine. He wouldn't be looking for her at this house, for goodness' sake, and Thomas was outside, watching the house.

It was fine. It would be great. They'd watch a Disney princess movie and get Lana's mind off of zombies.

At least that was what Katie told herself.

* * *

Ned's shift was just ending when he got the call.

"Thomas's shift is ending," LeTrai said. "I'm sending Roberts in; Thomas followed Katie to her parents house, and Roberts is going over there but he's on the other side of town and Thomas has some hot date he doesn't want to be late for."

"I'll fill in the cracks," Ned said instantly.

"I knew you'd say that," LeTrai said. "I also have an update on Arrow. Looks like he's heading the opposite direction. Someone thinks they saw him."

"Good," Ned breathed. "Maybe it's not as bad as we thought, maybe he was just escaping to escape, not on a revenge mission."

"Be careful," LeTrai said.

"I will," Ned replied, turning to Jamison, who was already nodding.

And then Ned got a much different call. Lana's voice flooded the line, five years old and scared.

"Ned? I'm-I'm in my parents closet… I have Emma." She whispered. "Katie told me to hide, to keep Emma safe. That you'd know what to do if I called you."

"Lana, I can barely hear you." Ned replied. "Any chance you could speak up?"

"She told me to be quiet, to make sure that Emma didn't leave my side, because he'd hear us and hurt us, but Ned I don't want to see my big sister hurt." She explained rather quickly.

"Who'd hear you?" Ned's mind was spinning.

This wasn't happening. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"The bad man," the phone crinkled and he looked at Jamison, turning the lights on and speeding over to the Clancy's house, taking a sudden turn. "She said you'd know what to do. You'd save her and that nothing bad would happen to us if we hid."

"Lana, I'm on my way." Ned said calmly. I want you to stay calm and quiet. No more talking, ok?"

"Okay," she whispered. "I'm scared Ned. I can hear her fighting him."

He held onto the roof holder as they sped closer.

"Can you go any faster?" Ned asked as he heard the fast breathing of Lana.

He had to get there before anything happened, and that's when he heard her scream...

* * *

Arrow took a step toward her and her back hit the kitchen counter, her mind told her the knife holder was right behind her.

But had her parents moved it since she'd grabbed a knife from there last week?

She reached behind her, and thank god, she pulled a knife out, holding it tightly in front of her.

He'd grown a beard since she'd last saw him, had changed clothes into something she'd sworn her father would've worn on a hike at the cabin. She could see his tattoo creeping up the side of his neck, it was a knife and each drop of blood on it counted as a victim.

Seventeen.

She didn't want to be eighteen.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart, Katherine." Arrow chuckled, taking a step toward her. "Where are those adorable sisters of yours I saw with you before I came in here? Are they upstairs? Did you tell them to hide from me and miss all the fun?"

"You leave them out of it," she scoffed and moved sideways, putting more space between her and the inevitable.

She was strong, could probably outrun him if she bolted for the side door, but her sisters. She had to keep them safe, her parents couldn't lose them both because of her.

"Did you have them call Ned to the rescue?" Arrow lunged toward her and grabbed her forearms, holding enough pressure to her wrist to where she dropped it on the floor. "We should give him a little show shouldn't we?"

"You'll scare my sisters," she muttered as he grabbed her by her hair, pulling it tightly into his fist.

"Like I care," Arrow laughed. "We can either do this the fake way or the real way. Your choice."

She gathered enough saliva in her mouth and spat in his face.

"You bitch," he muttered and slammed her into the wall. "Now you won't go easily. You'll get exactly what those other women got."

He threw her onto the floor and she tried to crawl away, but he stepped his muddy shoe into her back, pressing her into the floor with all his might until she cried out in pain.

She heard her rib crack and she pressed on, grabbing the doorway and struggling her way into the foyer, even with his foot still on her.

"Oh Katherine, stop trying already." He laughed, taking his foot off of her and kneeling into her back. "You're mine, and it's all your husband's fault. When I'm finished with you… he won't even know you." He grabbed her by her hair and she cried out softly. "Come on… give me a little better scream Katherine."

"I won't give you what you want," she laughed as he pulled the pocket knife from vest.

"Come on, Ned's listening." He whispered in her ear, pressing the blade to her forearm, dragging it across her skin agonizingly slow, blood dripping onto the floor.

She screamed like a baby in a tumble dryer, garbled and muffled, but none the less distressing and intense.

It was the kind of scream that made your blood run cold.

* * *

Ned felt Jamison's hand on his arm, restraining him. "You can't go in there without a thought, Ned, we need a plan," he hissed. They'd turned the sirens and lights off and had pulled in by Jim and Melinda's house.

"Jim's going to fucking kill me for putting his daughters in danger like this," Ned hissed.

"I'm going to kill you if you mess this up," Jamison said. "I'll go around the back. You go in the front. Distract him, make a scene if you have to. Let me get a clear shot."

Ned could only nod as they slipped from the car, guns out, and Jamison hurried around the back.

He had heard his wife scream.

He never wanted to hear that sound again.

He ran at the front door, kicking it open, taking Jamison at face value and making a scene.

There was a light in the kitchen.

And then Arrow was there, arrogant, stupid.

"I've got your bitch, Banks," he spat, holding her against him, walking to the doorway, knife at her throat.

Ned's gun steadied, pointing straight at Arrow's head. "Let her fucking go," he said. "Or I'll kill you."

The knife cut into Katie's throat and she whimpered.

God, Arrow was an idiot.

He kept his eyes on Arrow, not letting them travel past him to where he could see Jamison through the back door window.

"It's me you want to hurt," Ned said.

"And what better way than taking this bitch?" Arrow said.

"You're a fucking coward," Ned said. "You couldn't take me on if you trained for it."

"Put your gun down, and we'll see," Arrow sneered.

Ned dropped it, kicking it to the living room.

Katie was horrified, wondering why he'd do such a thing; he could read the terror in her eyes.

Arrow shoved her away, coming at Ned...and a shot rang out. A perfect shot.

Arrow fell dead on the ground and Ned ran forward as Jamison entered through the back; Ned placed his foot on Arrow's back, pinning him there until Jamison could and then Ned crumpled to the ground, gathering Katie in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, over and over, rocking them back and forth. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

"Lana and Emma, they're in mom's closet," Katie said, voice shaking. "You have to go get them, tell them it's alright."

Jamison had his radio out, was phoning for help.

* * *

By the time Jim and Melinda got home with Mackenzie in tow, the house was ablaze with the flashing lights of dozens of police cars, an ambulance, and even an FBI SUV.

"What the hell," Jim breathed, unable to park on the same block almost.

Melinda's eyes were wide and Mackenzie, dozing in the backseat, had darted awake.

He had a feeling they all tore from the car at the same moment, legs taking them onward; Jim and Mackenzie outpacing Melinda, but she was keeping up, and they were fighting through a crowd of cops and CSI workers and a man with an FBI jacket.

"What the fucking hell?" Jim said once he finally saw someone he knew; Ned's partner, Jamison.

"Arrow," Jamison said.

"He was going to jail," Jim said.

"He got out and came after Katie," Jamison said.

"Why the fuck didn't I know this?" Jim almost screamed, and he could see Melinda behind him, reaching for his shoulder.

Ned was stumbling from the house. "Jim," he said, walking down the stairs. "We're all fine. Emma and Lana are good. Katie doesn't even need stitches."

"You tell me one thing," Jim said, breathing hard. "Did you know before tonight when Katie came over to babysit that Arrow had escaped?"

"Yes, but I thought she'd tell you—"

Jim's fist hit Ned's jaw with a resounding crack. "You don't get to say that!" He yelled, as Ned fell backwards. "You should have told me. I could have been here."

He felt arms holding him back; Jamison, and the FBI guy. He was fighting them, and one voice pierced through the crowd.

"Jim."

He calmed immediately.

Melinda was walking forward, parting the crowd by the intensity of her very aura. Mackenzie followed her, clinging to her hand, and Melinda walked straight up to Ned. "Did you save them?" She asked.

"Yes," Ned breathed, staring up at her.

She glanced back at Jim, the intensity of her gaze burning him. "Then that's enough," she said simply.

* * *

Melinda listened to the whole story in silence, her arms tight around Emma, who was sleeping in her arms. Lana was being cuddled by her father, and Mackenzie and Katie were leaning on each other.

Ned stood in the doorway, arms folded tight over his chest.

"I'm sorry, dad," Katie said, voice drawn. "I should have told you before you guys left."

"I'm sorry," Jim said. "God. I just hate that this happened at all."

"Hopefully Emma and Lana won't remember any of it," Melinda said, speaking for the first time in a while. "I have faith that they won't. We'll fill their days with laughter and love, and the memory will fade until Lana thinks it was just a nightmare. And then we'll talk about it. And we'll say how everything turned out alright."

"Except for Ned's jaw," Mackenzie said.

Jim walked forward and Melinda watched apprehensively, but Jim pulled Ned into an awkward hug, since Jim still held Lana.

"I don't apologize for punching you, you deserved that," Jim said. "But you did get here in time. And I give you full credit for that."

Melinda could see her husband's eyes as he pulled away, hot with suppressed emotion. He was still angry. But maybe he could tell that Ned was even angrier with himself.

"It's time for bed," she said, standing up.

Jim's eyes flew to her, as if wondering if she meant it, and then he walked to Katie, holding out his hand to her.

Melinda's eldest daughter stood up, and Melinda's heart broke. Oh god. They'd talk about this more tomorrow.

"I love you," Jim said fiercely. "And tell me next time."

"I will, daddy," Katie whispered, tears in her eyes again.

Jim pressed a kiss to her hair, and Katie pulled away, going to her husband.

Jim pulled Mackenzie into a side hug and started up the stairs.

"Hey, Jim," Melinda said as they moved. "Lana's going to sleep with us, right?"

"Emma too," Jim said, his tone brooking no nonsense. "Mack, you're also welcome."

Melinda nodded, placing a hand on Mackenzie's shoulder.

"Maybe I'll pull a sleeping bag in there," Mackenzie said, voice a bit shaky.

"Oh, baby," Melinda breathed as she reached the top of the stairs, halting Kenz and pulling her into a tight hug.

And then Jim turned around and joined the embrace, his one free arm wrapping around them all.

They were a strong family. They'd make it through this. They could make it through anything.

* * *

Katie wrapped her arms around Ned. He was still, frozen in the doorway, and slowly his arms came around her.

"This is my fault," he said.

"It's Arrow's fault," she said. "Oh god, Ned, I need you right now. Please don't do this to me."

His arms grew stronger, and he scooped her up into them, walking to the door in silence.

There were still two squad cars outside. LeTrai was watching the Clancy house personally.

Ned walked to the second; Jamison sat in the front.

"Can you drive us home?" Ned asked.

He didn't have to ask twice.

He held Katie in his arms the whole way, feeling her breathe, just in wonderment that she was alive. That she was here. That life would continue.

Because if he'd lost her tonight...life would have never been the same.

* * *

"Talk to me," Ned said as he carried her inside the house, up the stairs.

"Not tonight," she breathed. "I will tomorrow. I swear. But now I just need you. I need your hands on me, all over me, because I need you to erase every inch of him from me."

His head jerked away, and there were tears in his eyes and he was so angry with himself. He walked straight to the bathroom and turned the shower on, placing her on her feet.

"We'll be okay," Katie whispered.

He was taking his clothes off, in quick, jerking motions. Katie found herself mirroring him, until they were both nude, and they got under the spray, letting the hot water wash away the events of the night.

And he was helping her wash, avoiding her bandages, and then she was crying, burying her face against his slick chest, letting him hold her closely, because this was too fucking hard, and she couldn't be brave anymore.

"I knew you were coming," she sobbed. "And I knew you'd be there and I knew you'd get there in time because you always get there in time, but oh god, Ned, that can never happen again."

"I know," he breathed, frantically kissing away her tears. "You don't know even know how hard I'm going to try to make sure that this never happens again."

"Emma and Lana, and mom and dad, oh god, Ned," Katie breathed. "With Mason it was all contained, it was me, but with Arrow...he could have gotten everyone."

"He's gone," Ned said, voice shaking. "Fucking gone."

"He crossed over," Katie said slowly. "I think the shock of it. He just went."

"I can't believe there's a light for guys like him," Ned spat.

"I'm just glad he's gone," Katie said, wrapping her arms around him. Her sobs slowed, her breathing steadied, and then she was just there, clinging to him.

And Ned's lips found hers and he was kissing her like it was the last time and the first time all in one.

She kissed him back, frantically trying to erase every second of the time she'd spent with Arrow in the kitchen of her parents house.

And Ned seemed to be determined on the same thing as he reached and shut the water off.

"I don't want shower sex right now," Ned panted. She nodded, and they dried off quickly, movements rough, and Katie rubbed at her hair frustratedly, trying to get it dry enough, and Ned was watching. "Oh, god, Katie," he whispered, and slid to his knees in front of her.

He pressed her legs apart, and she whimpered, feeling his breath there, and his mouth as he sucked at her, kissed her there, and she bucked against him, a haze of lust making her forget everything that had ever happened before in her entire life.

And he was desperate, his mouth finding her core, making her shudder over him, his hands on her ass, clinging to her, until she finally came.

And they were still.

"Ned, take me to bed," Katie whispered, her voice a plea.

He stood up, pulled her into his arms and carried her there, moving over her, entering her in one swift motion, making them both cry out.

This. This was what they needed, what they'd been missing. Why before now they'd felt frozen and afraid, like they'd never make it past this night.

They wouldn't have, not alone. Not as two.

But they were one flesh, one body, moving together, perfectly synchronized.

His hands were on her breasts, pulling at them, smoothing them, worshipping them, and his mouth was on hers and she could taste herself on him and she'd never before loved her husband quite as much as she did in that moment as he pumped into her, over and over and over again.

And this was love. This was completion.

She'd never forget that. She'd never forget this night, but she'd let herself forget the parts with Arrow. What she'd remember would be Ned's body bobbing over hers, his hardness as he rocked into her, their hips melded together.

She'd remember the heat of his mouth, and the gentle touch of his work roughened hands; how she could feel the blisters on his palms when he placed his hands on her breasts, covering them, holding them, claiming them.

She was his. He was hers. It was the same thing, essentially.

They were each other's.

And that was what Katie Banks chose to remember about that night. How Ned made her forget everything. Let her live in the moment, with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to ghostwhispererfangirl for saving me on this one because I was so stuck in the middle. She pretty much wrote the whole scene with Arrow and Katie.


	12. Fall Into Me

His whole body...was pinned to the bed with exhaustion. His every limb felt tired and he wanted to sleep for a week.

Arrow was gone. He'd made the arrest late last night, and had only just made it home to bed. It was just past one a.m., and Katie was sleeping, only stirring a little when he slid into bed beside her, far, far beyond the point of wanting to wake her up.

He was so tired.

He felt her curl into his side, waking up a little more, and he decided to tell her before sleeping. "I'm about to sleep for a week," he mumbled, turning a little, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "But you should know that Arrow was arrested tonight."

"Good," she sighed, put her arms around him, and they both slept.

* * *

It was hard to say what exactly Arrow had changed in their life. They were both more stressed, to be sure. Ned going out and investigating the man's actions and misdeeds at all odd hours, sometimes when off duty, had momentarily created a strain in their usually easy relationship.

She didn't like him putting himself in needless danger. He didn't think it was needless. And neither did she after meeting Grace Mahoney and her three year old daughter.

No. Not needless at all.

But still...Arrow was a dangerous man. Ned was a bit too passionate in his pursuit; he had a few close calls, and Katie had gotten angry with him for a couple of them. Truly angry. Angry to the point where they hadn't even spoken to each other for a few hours...but they had made love in the midst of that anger. And it had been both beautiful and frustrating, because Katie, such a passionate creature...she'd been willing. She'd been the instigator. And she hadn't held back. Not physically.

But she'd held back emotionally. Walled him off from her. Refused to let him see what she was feeling, even as he made her topple over the edge.

And he'd realized why some married couples didn't have sex anymore. Because if communication wasn't working between them, there was no way that sex could either.

And after that...he'd been so frustrated. Fighting anger with her. Remembering the days from before they were dating when she was just holding him to this impossible standard.

And he'd wanted to shout at her, scream at her to listen to him, to fully respond to him, because his heart was already breaking from seeing what Arrow was doing to these women and she was going to break it harder. Fully.

But he hadn't had to. She'd come back to him, perhaps seeing what dangerous waters she was in, finally recognizing that he was hurting, the why behind he had to do this.

He seemed to dream awake, remembering that night, her words to him, when she'd finally opened up to him. When he'd opened up in return.

Her lips were on his shoulder. It was just past eight, the sun was shining through the windows, moving past them, and Katie's mouth was warm and wet, kissing down his arm. "Hey, hero," she said huskily. "I was looking up the news and it sounds like you made the arrest yourself."

"Well, yeah," he breathed, as her lips trailed to his chest, as she placed a hand on the other side of him and shifted to being over him, her hair hanging down around his face, an erotic curtain shielding them from the world. He swallowed. "It was my case."

She gazed down at him. "I'm so proud of you," she said. "Truly proud. I know you told me all that Arrow did. But it didn't really sink in until I read this article. Those women were crying out for a rescuer, but too scared to actually ask for one." Her eyes blazed into his. "And you were their savior. All by yourself. You saw something wrong and you didn't stop investigating, even when LeTrai warned you off, even when you got sliced in that knife fight...and even when your wife was being a cold bitch."

"No, Katie," he began.

Her lips came up, she changed from leaning on her hands to resting on his chest, and her mouth was hot on his neck, sucking at it.

"You weren't a bitch," he said, and she chuckled against his neck, low and dark. "You were worried. You didn't understand. I didn't let you understand."

"Well, I should have," she breathed. "My husband. Hero of Grandview."

He gasped as he felt her teeth down by his nipple, moaning long and loud. Her hands, no longer supporting her weight, were sliding down his chest, his abs, down to his hips, rubbing over the sharp hipbones there, making him swell against her, more than he already was. She giggled, rubbing her stomach over him, and then rising up, her nightgown already hiking up.

"I'm ready if you are," she said, easing his boxers down. He moaned as she palmed him, and then slowly slid onto him.

"Wait," he gasped, moaning as his arousal met her wet heat. "Take your nightgown off."

"Mm, why?" She said, gasping as she braced her hands on his chest. God, she'd always loved riding him.

"Because I want to see the show," he said, eyes twinkling, voice getting lower. "It isn't as fun when I can't watch you bounce."

She moaned, moving over him, up and down.

"Come on, Katherine," he pleaded, voice hoarse.

"Maybe I'll be cold," she whispered, hands nevertheless going to the hem on her nightgown.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Ned vowed as she dragged the pink lace over her body, revealing her bare hips, joined to his, her flat stomach with a faint scar on it, and her perky, perfectly cuppable breasts, whose tips had pebbled in the cold, a dusky red.

She tossed the nightgown to the floor and they both watched it flutter to the ground, before she started to ride him again in earnest now.

He clung to her, hands tight on her hips, bringing her in closer, tighter. Her breasts were bouncing wildly, and he had missed this, so much, seeing her let go like this, be free.

She'd let go of all inhibitions and worries. And that was better than anything else. Better than the ride.

He moaned a little, feeling himself getting closer, and she drove down on him again, shattering over him, throwing her head back, leaving him to keep her upright.

He groaned and spilled into her, leaving them both panting, until Katie sagged over him. "That's a good way to wake up," she panted into his neck, breath hot.

"Yeah," he rasped, holding her close, feeling her slide off of him.

"I need a shower," Katie said, eyes twinkling. "You coming?" She jumped from the bed, everything seeming to bounce, from her breasts to her ass as she ran from the room.

He dived from the bed after her, long legs carrying him quickly, grabbing her around the waist just as she got into the bathroom, pulling her flush against him. Oh, god, her ass. Perky and bouncy and rounded, the second most perfect globes on her body.

She ground into him, making him moan and she used to her advantage, wiggling away, switching the water on.

* * *

Ned was just standing there, looking delicious nude, his muscles defined, his scars standing out. The places on his body where he'd taken the shot; the knife wound, there were any number of choices.

She walked forward and rubbed her finger over an old one. "I don't think I ever heard the story behind this one," she said softly, running her tongue over her lips.

"That was just a skateboard accident," Ned said, and then frowned, looking down at his chest. "Or bike. I don't remember. I didn't get stitches because I didn't tell my mom about it because she would never have let me hang out with my friends again."

"And for good reason," Katie said, backing into the shower as the spray got hot, holding out her hands to him.

He reached to take them, joining her under the hot water, and she let her gaze sweep over him, find every body part and give it her full concentration.

And there he was, the...biggest part of him, swelling to life, even more when he realized she was looking. And the sound he made, a cross between a choked laugh and moan, right before he swept her into his arms.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him brace her against the shower wall.

"I want you inside me," she rasped, and he slid his fingers into her, and she felt their presence, very welcome. "Not quite what I meant," she whimpered, feeling herself coat his hand, and he moaned, deep in his throat.

"Seems like it's getting the job done, though," he breathed.

"Come on, Ned," she said, pressing her breasts into his chest. "Don't make me call you Edward."

He entered her, one hard and fast motion, and she gasped, feeling her body stretch to accommodate him, feeling her body close in around him, welcoming his presence, a bit more than just used to it by now.

She needed this.

The angle...was just right. He moved into her again and she squeaked, a rather embarrassing sound, and Ned pulled back.

"Was that not good?" He asked, concern on his face.

"That was the best," she managed to say, gasping as he continued to move inside her. "This angle…"

"Ah," he said, forcing the simple word out. "Oh, god, Katie."

She clung to him, her arms like a vise around him, her lips sucking at his neck, trying to hold on.

"I love you," she ground out. "Damn it, Ned."

"I love you too," he hissed, just as he came, and she moaned. "Not there yet?"

"Not quite," she said, and felt his fingers join him.

And then she was there. So there.

* * *

Breakfast was over.

Ned had the day off and they were just lying on the couch, sprawled over each other; Katie was grading papers and Ned was pretending to read a magazine.

He was seated; she was stretched over his lap.

And all he could do was stare at her ass, which was very inviting to him right now, even more than usual.

She was wearing yoga pants. And Ned suddenly realized that they might be his favorite look on her.

She was also laughing over the essays. "I'm sorry, but anyone in an AP class who says that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote To Kill a Mockingbird is an ultimate fail. And we read that."

She shifted over his lap, brushing against him, not noticing it as she cast the essay aside. "Want to watch something?"

Yes. He did. His wife's ass.

He picked up the remote. "Do you think anything's on?"

She shrugged. "We can rent something then," she shrugged.

He nodded. "You can pick," he said simply.

"You actually read that magazine?" She wondered. "Runner's World?"

"It has good information on shoes," Ned said carefully.

"But you don't really run in winter," Katie said.

He shrugged, and she put more weight on his lap as she grabbed the remote, almost sliding off of him, and he grabbed hold of the first thing he could...her ass.

She stilled a little, shifted back onto his lap. He was still, feeling her skin warm beneath his fingers, heat untrapped by the yoga pants.

"You're right," she said. "I want to do yoga."

"Sorry?" He asked, a bit dazed.

"I was standing so much yesterday," Katie said. "My feet and legs are just sore."

She picked up the remote, quickly locating a yoga for legs video, sliding from his lap and crawling onto the carpet.

"Want to join me? She's really good," Katie promised.

"No, I'll just finish this," Ned said.

God. Her ass in those pants.

Doing downward dog.

He moaned, shoving the magazine into his face. The jig was up.

"Ned?" Katie asked, and her voice was closer than he'd expected.

He jerked, feeling her settle onto his lap, legs spreading wide to straddle him. The magazine fell and Katie quirked a brow at him. "Next time…" She breathed, shifting her hips over his. "Just tell me. Don't pretend that I couldn't feel our little friend pounding against my legs this whole time."

"I was being a gentleman," Ned protested.

"Oh, Ned," she said, her voice low and seductive. "We both know that's one thing you aren't."

"Seeing you in yoga pants does inexplicable things to me," he tried to explain.

"I think I can explain them," Katie smirked.

She pressed herself against him and he swung them around, her on the bottom, his lips falling to her neck, moving to her lips, kissing her until their lips were sore.

"You like me in yoga pants then, huh?" Katie wondered.

"Why don't you wear them all the time?" He asked. "When we're at home, at least?"

Her shirt was loose and there was nothing to obstruct his hands from creeping underneath and cupping her breasts. Oh god. They were warm, round and wobbly under his palm. They were everything.

He dragged her neckline down, shifted one through and lowered his mouth to the pert nipple. Damn it. He would never get over how this felt. Never.

She was tugging at his pants, and he was bare to her, and he returned the favor, and he wanted so badly to just admire her bare skin for a moment longer but she was impatient, and when Katie was impatient...well, things got done.

* * *

"We've got that party tonight," Katie said lazily, tracing circles on his back as they lay on the carpet, her long legs wrapped around his waist.

He was still inside her.

She loved this moment. When they were both spent, both done, and they just lingered with each other, too tired to pull out.

She loved Ned.

"I know," he sighed, pressing a kiss into her shoulder.

"And we have to get ready," Katie said. "Have lunch so we don't faint from hunger because we both know there will only be appetizers there."

"I know," he repeated, his arm moving under her, and she could feel every ripple of the muscles present there as he arched her over his arm, kissing down her neck, finding her breasts.

"And we should get to my parents house early so that they get there on time," Katie said, her voice turning into a whimper as he captured one nipple.

"I know," he breathed, and slowly pushed to sitting up, gliding out of her.

She looked up at him as he stood up, grabbing his boxers, his jeans, his plaid shirt.

She slowly dressed herself, following him to the kitchen. They made hot cheese sandwiches for lunch, almost burning them after Ned kissed her neck, and slid his arms around her waist, and Katie got a little distracted from watching the sandwiches.

But they tasted fine.

They played scrabble after that, milking their long afternoon, ending up on the floor again after Ned stole Katie's 50 point word, even after she'd warned him not to...and the word he used to steal it was 'sex'.

She was so mad at him, and it made the kiss even better. She was trying to get revenge on him, and he was pinning her arms over her head, his lips plundering hers, until they were both on the rug, gasping and pulling away.

"Time to get ready," Katie panted.

"What about one more time?" Ned asked, his lips going down to her neck, finding her collarbone.

"I could be persuaded," she said. "But you have to admit that you're a rat and won unfairly."

"I admit it," he said, knocking the tiles from the board. "And now there's no evidence that I won."

Her yoga pants soon disappeared, and his hands were hot on her ass, and she lay on the rug, watching the fire in front of her eyes, crackling, making the room cozy. And he entered her from behind, and she purred in her throat, wishing she could put her arms around him, but this was...good enough. The angle was enough to make up for it.

He moved into her, reaching her sensitive spot, the part that would make her scream. And scream she did, her cry muffled by the rug.

"I love you," Ned whispered, sagging over her.

"I love you more," she said, as he pulled out, flipping them both over, and she rolled so she was sprawled over his chest, her arms spread over him.

This day should never end.


	13. Party of Three

It was like she'd waited her whole life for this moment.

Katie held the tiny bundle in her arms, her heart so full she felt like it was about to break. Because she was holding a baby. A real baby. Her son.

 _Her son_. Something she'd been afraid she'd never be able to say again in relation to a living person.

But Asher was living. Living, breathing, hearty. He was a hefty nine pounds, though right now he felt like nothing, right now any weight would feel like a feather, she felt like she could swim the English Channel right now and not even get winded.

Because she had a baby. Because she had a son. Because she and Ned had loved each other so much that it had finally spilled over, and Asher was the result. The beautiful, precious result.

Her parents, his parents, her siblings...she could still hear them in the hall, happy, rejoicing with her as Ned gently guided them to the elevators, ready for Katie and him to have some alone time.

And then their voices faded; they'd reached the elevators and then Ned was there, quietly smiling at her from the doorway.

"It happened," he said simply. "It did. We have a son. Another one."

"Yeah," she said, thinking of the ones she'd lost. But Asher was here, bright and beautiful, plump and healthy.

He walked forward, tears in his eyes, she could see that now. "Oh, baby," he whispered, kneeling before her, pressing his forehead to hers, and they both just looked down at him, at his tiny and perfect head nestled into Katie's breast as he suckled.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," Katie breathed, her voice hitching with a momentary sob.

"We aren't dreaming," he said, finding her hand and winding his through it. "We aren't, baby. We're here."

Their lips met, and she could taste his tears, and her own, before Asher's mouth slipped off of her breast and she broke away with a laugh, helping him get resituated.

"This is amazing," Ned told her, leaning his head on her shoulder. "I could watch this all day."

"I could too," she murmured. "I could live with just watching him sleep all day, that tiny little chest rising and falling, his hands in these beautiful fists."

Ned's head ducked to press a kiss to Asher's downy head. "He smells like a baby," he said. "Obviously. But it's so good. After so long, Katie. He's like…" He breathed in. "He's like Charlie."

"He is," she agreed, breath hitching again. "Bigger, but they could be twins at this point."

Ned drew in a shuddering breath. "Just think, he's already got a brother watching out for him on the other side," he said. "He's so lucky."

"Yeah," Katie said.

And it was quiet in their room, with their little family. Ned reached an arm around Katie, pulled her in, and she stood up, their movements perfectly coordinated as he took the chair and she settled into his lap, so that they could both just watch their perfect little son.

His hair was so dark, and she wondered if it would lighten to Ned's shade or stay as it was. She moved her hand over his head, and Ned's hand covered hers; he had calluses on his palms, and she could feel every rough one; she loved every one.

Asher pulled away, smacking his lips, done, and it was Ned's hand that carefully pulled Katie's top down, his fingers brushing her breast as he did so, very intentionally, reminding Katie how babies were made.

A nurse came in then. "Just checking in," she said, and chuckled. "You know, sitting like that will have you guys in here again soon, I'll bet."

Katie blushed, and Ned ducked his head, burying it in Katie's neck.

"Well, that's what we're hoping," she admitted. "We'll welcome as many as we can take."

"That's gorgeous," the nurse said. "I admire that and hope that those feelings last for you guys."

She ducked out again, closing the door carefully behind her, and Katie leaned back into Ned's chest. "I should probably sleep," she sighed, yawning a little.

"Yeah, Asher too," Ned agreed. "I can walk him for a bit."

"Okay," she whispered, standing up, handing her son over to him and the moment of transfer was so incredibly tender. She met her husband's eyes and they had both teared up again.

Ned placed Asher on his shoulder, pressing a sweet kiss to Katie's mouth. "I love you, baby," he breathed. "Thank you. Thank you so much for being the mother of my child."

She smiled back at him. "Thank you for being the father I always knew you could be."

She could feel his eyes on her as she moved over to the bed, not minding or even truly noticing the lingering pain of childbirth. Really, what did that matter when you had a living, breathing child? One who would grow up to laugh and play? One to shower with love and good memories?

One that was living proof that you and your husband loved each other?

Ned came over, giving her the use of his muscular arm as she got into bed, just a bit stiffly, settling onto her back, staring up at him. "It's just us," she breathed. "We're a party of three now and I can't believe it."

"It's a good feeling," Ned murmured. "He's going to look like you, I can feel it."

"Nah, he'll be a little blonde boy like you," Katie said. "I bet his hair will lighten."

Ned just laughed, brushing his hand over his head. "Just as long as he has your eyes," he breathed. "Brown and beautiful."

"Then our next kid has to have your green; they're more unique," she said. "God, I love your eyes."

And then they just smiled a bit goofily at each other. They knew that they were being ridiculous. At this point, they didn't care.

Asher yawned, spitting up onto Ned's shoulder, making them both chuckle. "This is our life now," Ned told her. "Spit up and nursing and long nights."

"I know," she replied. "And I can't wait."


	14. Holding Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language. So much language in this one. But there's a reason it's E, lol. E for Explicit and soooooooo not everyone.

November. Ned had said that the chief was keeping them late at work lately on some boring reports lately and Katie had been missing her husband in bed some nights; during _summer_ late nights meant staying up until he got in, but she was working now, as a teacher, getting up by six a.m. most days and even though she wanted to wait for him, let him make love to her every damn night, she knew it wasn't practical.

And damn if she wasn't practical these days, when she actually knew what being a teacher was like now.

She stifled a yawn, reflecting that, on that note, she'd stayed up too late last night, hoping to catch him, but it was nearing eleven and she'd reluctantly put her book away, knowing that she needed sleep to get her through the next day.

At least he was done with the Arrow thing. That had been so nasty; he hadn't even told her everything but unbeknownst to Ned she'd actually seen a few of the ghosts.

They hadn't wanted help. Even dead, they were too traumatized by what had happened to them to even be able to ask for it yet. 

But damn it, Arrow was a bit too manipulative and she was damn scared for her husband's safety when he'd been investigating Arrow.

And then Arrow had skipped town; was someone else's responsibility, Ned had said, a frown crinkling his brow even as he did.

And that was when the really late nights had started.

She sighed, walking into the station, her just below the knee green corduroy pencil skirt clinging to her hips under the beige peacoat; her wedge heels completing the look and she knew that she looked very vintage...and very sexy.

And considering what she wanted to weedle Ned into doing on his break...well, she needed everything she could get.

It had been too long. It just had.

She wanted to surprise him, pressing a finger to her lips and shushing Carter when he saw her, and his eyes widened before grinning and zipping his lips.

Ned was at his desk, legs propped up, squeezing a mini stress basketball in his hands, looking harried and...hot as hell. Her breath caught a little as she paused in the door, seeing the ripple of muscles in his bare forearms—he'd rolled his dress shirt's sleeves up and damn did she like it when he did that—as he tossed the ball from hand to hand.

LeTrai was frowning down at Ned, not noticing Katie in the doorway either. "I've told you five times, Ned, and they were just warnings."

She paused, not wanting to interrupt them, almost backing up. She wouldn't want Ned to see her at the rare times when the principal chided her for something. It didn't concern her; she tried to stay out of his work because she knew it would bug the hell out of her if he was always poking his nose into what she did at school.

But then Ned said something and she just froze.

"Arrow's not going to stop, Trai," Ned said. "What can I say? There are women out there, right now, whose lives are being threatened by the fact that he got past us."

"He's not our department's concern anymore, Ned," LeTrai snapped. "I don't need you driving all the fucking way to Woodbury to help with the case. You weren't even on duty last night, Ned."

"I'm just doing my job," Ned said. "He needs to be put behind bars."

"Well, I agree," LeTrai said. "But it wasn't your job and that is not appropriate."

"Is this an official reprimand?" Ned asked, jaw stiffening and if Katie wasn't so fucking angry right now, she might find that attractive.

As it was, it only compounded both her anger...and her lust.

God, this man.

"No," LeTrai bit out. "But watch your step, or it will be."

And then he looked up, his eyes widening when he saw Katie, and Ned saw it, jerking his office chair around. "Oh, fuck," he said softly, whistling the words.

"Well," LeTrai said. "Now you're in for it."

There was no pity in his voice as he left. "Give him hell, Katie," he tossed over his shoulder.

"Woodbury?" Katie said, stepping farther into the room. "Fucking Woodbury. I was home last night, Ned. I was waiting up three fucking hours for you because I called the office and Dave assured me that you'd be getting off at eight, and it was nine, and you weren't there but I figured LeTrai had you doing reports and files again because it's nearing the end of the year. Apparently, I'm the fool though. Archer, Ned. You lied to me."

"I didn't lie," Ned said, holding his hands up. "I didn't."

"Don't fucking rationalize this to me," Katie said. "Whether or not you explicitly lied, you deceived me."

"I just...I need to catch him," Ned said, voice rising. "You don't know what he's done."

"I don't care," she said. "You're off the case. I just heard LeTrai say that he put you off the fucking case." She bit her lip, forcing tears back. "Does this mean that every night you stayed late you were investigating him? While I was waiting at home lonely?"

"No!" Ned exclaimed immediately. "This was the first night, Katie. The other times, yes, I was doing end of year reports, I was. It just last night that I got a new piece of information and the dipshit deputy I talked to didn't sound like he could take it seriously so I drove down to see the chief myself."

"I cannot believe you, Ned Banks," she hissed.

It was then that his gaze dropped to the buttons on her coat. The button that was currently about to pop open from how hard she was breathing.

And he didn't get to do that. He didn't fucking get to check her out while she was chewing him out. He didn't get that pleasure.

Especially when he had that worried look in his eyes, and she could see his brain working to undo this, soothe her and she didn't want to be soothed.

But she still wanted to fuck him. Wanted him to bring her to orgasm because he could do it better than anyone else and it was like she was so freaking mad at him that it wasn't even worth punishing him, because it wouldn't be for his sake, it would be for hers. She wanted to get off.

Ned was going to get her off.

She just had to make it think she wasn't into it, make him work extra hard. Extra revenge.

She propped her hands on her hips, further straining said button. Intentionally straining said button.

"I didn't…" His brain was short circuiting, as she, subtly, widened her stance, showing off her legs in this skirt and these damn heels.

"I brought you lunch," she said, throwing the bag at him. "Fucking lunch."

"Katie," he repeated, but she wasn't going to let him talk because she knew that that would get his ire.

"No," she said, waving her hands up. "No, you do you, Ned Banks. Just go ahead, leave your wife out of it. I guess I've got a vibrator for a reason, I just didn't want to use it."

His jaw set. "What?" He asked.

"I was coming here because I was afraid you'd both be working late and too tired when you got home," she said. "And I wasn't going to let that stop me anymore. I'd come to you, what are my fucking legs for anyway?"

The button popped; Katie had perfected that trick a long time ago, it just took this particular stretch in her shoulders.

And she knew it drove Ned crazy. His jaw set even more, but she was pivoting on her heel. "I'm going home, then," she said. "I should have just enough time left on my lunch hour."

And she heard his steps, and then he was grabbing hold of her. "Just wait," he said. "I'm trying to apologize."

"But why even bother?" Katie said coldly. "When it's not like you're including me in your life anymore? You haven't even tried in weeks, Ned. And maybe you aren't the only one missing it." She met his green eyes, breath catching from how stunning her husband was.

And he was finally angry.

"I was being considerate," he ground out. "You have early mornings."

She shrugged. "You're right. So I'll take care of it myself from now on."

They finally realized how very public their conversation probably was. Katie felt a flush rise on her cheeks but hell, his colleagues knew her way too well at this point, had seen way too much for her to even be embarrassed over it anymore.

"No, you fucking won't," Ned said. "That's my job."

"I don't even know if you can still do it, it's been so long," she said glibly, the words sliding off her tongue without her even thinking about it, but it was the fucking perfect thing to say, because he finally snapped, grabbing hold of her wrist and dragging her to the breakroom, at the back of the building. She could hear exclamations as they passed and the one cop in the breakroom when they walked in just looked at Ned and left, chuckling.

She didn't even care.

Her husband slammed the door shut behind him, shoulders straining, and he slowly turned the lock, slowing down a little after realizing how very obvious he'd been just now in front of his colleagues.

Katie wasn't going to stop now, though, shrugging out of her coat, folding it carefully on the table, stretching a little to fully capitalize on her tight sweater that she hadn't worn to class this morning but hell, might as well let Ned think that; she'd been planning on telling him, making sure he knew that he was the only one who'd get to see her in it, but now, she sure as hell wouldn't.

Let his mind go all sorts of dirty places, imagining being a student in her class. Imagining what the male students hadn't seen.

"Katie—" He began again, but she could see the start of an erection, the way one hand was clenched by his side.

"Prove it," she said, enunciating the words.

His eyes ignited and he finally blazed over to her side, taking her into his arms and kissing her, bending her back over one arm to fully capture her lips, plunder her, and her heels were making her unstable and they ended up on the thankfully sturdy table, both pretending that they hadn't done this before, both pretending that LeTrai hadn't made Ned buy the new table for the break room after they'd slightly broken the first two.

He was climbing over her, impatient hands tugging her sweater from where it was tucked into her skirt, capitalizing on her again small waist and nearly hourglass figure, and then his rough and big palms were gliding up her stomach, and she moaned into his mouth to feel them, almost feeling tears coming into her eyes because fuck, she'd missed this, so damn much.

And it was Ned's fault that she'd missed it. All his fault.

But she again forced them back, vowing to not moan again, or try her damndest because Ned had to work for this.

He was hissing in appreciation between her lips, grabbing her tongue with his lips, sliding one hand around to the back of her sweater to unclip the bra but then paused, and she bit down on his lip in impatience.

Ned was pulling away, breath coming in harsh pants and fuck yes he'd missed this too because he was pulling back solely to be able to watch as he pulled her sweater over her head, breath hissing out when he saw how she'd dressed up for him. Dressed underneath, more like.

And for a moment she could see guilt, blame, in his eyes but she didn't want tender sex, she didn't want to let Ned have that right now.

"So far, you haven't proved anything," she taunted, and she saw the flash of fire in his eyes again, and his hand moved right back to the clip, unsnapping it and pulling the bra off, unable to hold back the moan of appreciation when he saw her revealed to him.

It had been her best pushup bra, again, something only put on as she left the school...but he didn't need to know that.

And she wanted to moan too, biting back all cries of pleasure as Ned's hands played with her, cupping the warm flesh and soothing out the red lines the bra had left even from her brief stay in it.

She wanted it fast, though, because hell, her break wasn't forever either.

She considered using her own hand but instead grabbed his, startling him, placing it on the nipple, making sure he got the picture.

Eyes flashed again and she could barely breathe from how seriously he was taking it now, straddling her, fingers rolling over the nipple, tugging on it, making her bite back scream after scream.

Outside, people were wondering why all the silence, suddenly worried that Katie was actually holding out on Ned.

No one wanted to actually see them fight.

But god, she wasn't going to, couldn't let Ned have this, forcing herself silent even as the pressure between her legs built and she seriously fucking felt like she was about to orgasm right now.

His mouth landed on one nipple, and she couldn't help arching her back up to meet it, begging for his touch there above all else, other nipple screaming for his attention there, for his mouth, because it was so hot and his teeth were scraping over her and she couldn't fucking survive this.

It had been too long.

His mouth finally moved and Katie permitted herself one tiny sigh, let one leg push between his thighs, her skirt too tight to do much more.

She felt tightly wound, and one hand snuck down, stroked her through her skirt, the tight skirt, and oh god she came, biting so hard on her lip to keep back the sound that she almost tasted blood.

And Ned's lips were still clamped around one nipple, feeling her move underneath him, gaze shooting sharply to her face to see if she'd really come just now, but she was masking it, opening her eyes wide, staring back at him, and she saw him swallow, bite something back.

His hands were clamping on her hips, finding her zipper, easing it down, shifting back to pull the skirt off, moaning when her garter belt was revealed to him, and even more when he saw the bare legs between garters and panties.

Oh god, he hadn't even anticipated that, she could just tell.

He pressed a hot kiss to her waist, undoing the belt with his teeth, easing it down; she'd worn this one before, and it was so much easier to get off than others she owned.

He was pulling the belt down, but was keeping the garters on, his fingers finding the sensitive skin on the backs of her knees, stroking there, making her even wetter. He leaned to press a kiss to the skin above her garters, and oh god, she wanted him to touch her. She was throbbing, heart seeming to have relocated to her pelvis from how all the blood was pumping there.

And he was moaning. "God, Katie," he breathed, kissing up her inner thigh, making her almost keen, but she bit it back, but it nearly killed her because he sounded so raw. "God, I love you."

His fingers slipped inside her, he hissed again to feel how wet she was, his eyes again shooting to her face, trying to figure if she'd come earlier, before giving in to what his body wanted, to what her body needed, pushing another finger in, deeper, finding her throbbing core, touching it, swirling around it.

"Come for me," he whispered, and he was sweet talking her and god, this wasn't fun anymore.

She merely reached for the edges of the table, holding on tight and Ned lowered his head, angry again, whipping her panties down and placing his mouth on her, and she couldn't even function with him like that, feeling it again after night after night of dreaming about it.

She clung to the table, pretending that she wouldn't normally be clinging to his hair right now, pretending that she wasn't just freaking fine with this, and she was so damn close and then he did it and she shattered, hips bucking off the table.

And she could feel Ned smile within her as he lapped her up, and then it faded, waiting to hear her cries, but they weren't forthcoming.

He was so done, so frustrated, pulling back, eyes meeting hers, and she didn't let him speak, sitting up with ease and pulling at his belt, freeing him almost before he could even react, feeling him pound in her hand as she stroked him, silently, long expert strokes, quick pumps, feeling the head and then grabbed his hips, pushing him inside her.

She was on the edge of the table, clinging to him, feeling his arms tight around her, hands in her hair, letting herself bite his ear, drive him closer, and he changed the angle, hitting her just right, as he knew he could, but she kissed his neck, suck hard enough to leave a mark and didn't say a word.

They both came in rapid succession and Ned was panting against her, forehead slick with sweat.

"Katie," Ned whispered, lips near her ear. "I love you, Katie. So goddamn much."

He pressed a kiss there, frantic, desperate.

"You did a fucking good job," she said, clearing her throat; she wasn't raspy like she usually was and she saw a pierce of disappointment in his eyes.

"Katie—"

"I only have a few minutes left to get back to school," she said softly, letting him pull out, sliding her panties back up, redoing the belt, Ned handed her her skirt and she wiggled into it, feeling him watch her, grabbing her bra herself next and the tight sweater.

He was just staring, arms tense, every muscle in his body seemed to be flexed.

"When are you getting off tonight?" She asked, letting her gaze sweep over again, gathering her coat.

"As early as I fucking possibly can," he said, folding his arms.

She walked to the door. "Good answer. And to answer _your_ question...it was three times," she said.

**To be continued**


	15. Chapter 15

Ned stood dazed in the breakroom for a moment longer before rushing after his wife, triumph coursing through his veins, watching her walk through a stunned station, still cold as ice.

But she'd admitted to it. He stared at her swaying hips, getting hard all fucking over again, because she knew what power she held over him right now, that her coming three times through his work wasn't even his achievement anymore because she'd managed to keep quiet through it.

His coworkers were just staring at them, because Katie and Ned...didn't know how to do quiet. They just didn't. So how the hell did Katie's hair look that insane and yet there hadn't been a sound?

Ned scraped his own hair back, walked to his desk and looked inside the bag she'd brought. Pizza.

God. He hated himself so much more right now, knowing he deserved every damn second of her silence, but god, he felt so smug when he saw his coworkers just looking around, wondering if Katie and Ned had even done anything. Yet they had to have. Yet…

"Hey," Lucas said, finally sitting at the desk next to him.

"Yeah?" Ned asked distracted, eating the pizza. God, he loved Marciano's. Best pizza in town. That Katie had brought to him. Because she missed him. So goddamn much. And he? He'd driven to freaking Woodbury instead, even though the chief had already heard, Ned had been too freaking conceited to leave it in the hands of the deputy.

Damn it. He had to make up for this, for all of it.

He'd been so scared in there, because Katie, his beautiful, passionate Katie, the one who couldn't stay quiet when her sister was in the next room...had been silent. Had come three times and hadn't let out a word.

God. That was harder a punishment than he was beginning to think he could bear. Making love was not the same when she wasn't all raspy at the end, when she didn't call his name...when she didn't say she loved him.

But it was still less than he deserved for how he'd acted.

Arrow was not worth his marriage.

"Hey, Ned," Lucas repeated.

"Sorry," Ned said immediately.

"You, uh…" The look on Lucas's face was so comical. He was dying to ask but how did you ask such a thing?

"Yeah?" Ned asked.

"Well, it was so quiet," Lucas said.

Ned shrugged. "What was?"

Paul came over, high fiving Lucas over Ned's head. "He didn't get any," he said. "I told you Katie would be too mad."

It was at that point, however, that Ned rolled his eyes, nonchalantly removing his tie, revealing the lovebite she'd given him.

Silence in the room.

"Did she bring a gag?" Paul asked.

"Who?" Ned asked simply.

"Ka—" Lucas broke off, rolling his eyes. "You win, Ned."

"Don't make bets on my wife's ability to keep silent," Ned said. "And go fuck yourselves, as you most definitely have to do since you're both single again."

"Burn!" Laurie crowed, slapping Lucas on the back. "Now get back to work."

Lucas looked up at the petite woman; his partner, and Ned watched as he fought down a snarky response.

Lucas so had the hots for Laurie and everyone knew it, but somehow, she always caught him at the worst possible moments.

Just like him and Katie. Suddenly he had a shot of sympathy for Lucas, but not enough to defend him. Ned wouldn't let anyone talk about his wife like that.

Ned stood up, slinging his jacket on. He had one more thing to do and then, he hoped, he could convince LeTrai into letting him off early.

* * *

Flowers. A bouquet of huge red roses, whose aroma was filling his whole car, intoxicating him, making him imagine Katie, think about her, about making love in a room filled with flowers.

That had been a good Valentine's day. So worth the money.

He hopped from the car, heartening when he saw that Katie's car was already in the driveway, running around to the other door to snag the roses.

He knew better than to think that roses would heal everything, or even anything, but it was a good start. It had to be. If she wanted romance...company…

He sighed, knowing that he'd seriously fucked up, even more so than usual, running up the steps and opening the door.

"Katie!" He called, as Stitches came running, winding around Ned's legs with a loud purr. "Hey, Stitch," he greeted, leaning to scratch the cat's ears before moving farther into the house. "Katie? I'm home."

Silence.

He walked into the kitchen and Katie was right there, moving around with a handful of vegetables, dropping them into an open pot.

"Hey, baby," he breathed, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her, not caring about her messy apron or her dirty hands.

She stiffened, but he couldn't help the amount of comfort he was taking from this embrace. She was so soft; she smelled so good and he loved her so much. Why hadn't he tried harder these past few weeks?

"I brought you flowers," he told her, lips near her ear, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"They're beautiful," Katie said, and Ned smiled, slow and happy, pressing another kiss to her neck, moving up closer to her ear.

He was too tired, too hopeful, to note the odd tone of her voice, the lack of real emotion. He could only notice how sweet she tasted, how very nice it was to press his lips to any part of her.

He loved her. So much.

She slowly moved from his embrace, taking the flowers, getting out her favorite vase and putting water in the bottom, easily trimming the ends of the roses before placing them inside, taking her time arranging them.

He watched her quizzically, trying to put his finger on why this scene just felt wrong. "Listen," he said. "About Archer. I'm so sorry about last night. And I won't say that that was the first time I stayed overtime because of the case but it was the first time I actually went against what LeTrai recommended."

"Good to know," she said smoothly. "That must ease your conscience."

His jaw clenched; he knew she had a right to be mad but why wasn't she getting mad? Katie being cold was just heart rending, he wanted an angry Katie, one he could reason with, one who he could get to respond.

Did he deserve that, though? Or should he let her have this, make him suffer as she'd been worrying these past few days, wondering why the hell he wasn't coming home?

"I'm going upstairs to change," he sighed.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour," Katie said, turning back to the stove, adding a dash of salt to the soup.

And he couldn't help it. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she looked amazing, and he was remembering earlier's scene.

He took hold of her hand, spinning her into him, pressing a kiss to her lips, folding her into his arms until she was sighing, kissing him back.

And for a moment when he pulled away, he saw a spark in her eyes, a happiness.

And then she was turning back to the stove, and Ned went upstairs.

* * *

Inexplicably, Katie had set dinner at the coffee table in the living room instead of at the kitchen or dining table.

She was sitting cross legged on the floor when he came down; the pot of soup was already on the table and so were bowls; a loaf of bread on a cutting board with butter next to it.

"This looks amazing," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, conjuring up what his father in law would do right now and gently, briefly massaging there, using his fingers to try and pull some tension from her neck and shoulders.

"It's a new recipe," she said, straightening a bit, letting his hands find a better angle. "I've been wanting to try it out for a week."

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I should have just asked LeTrai, I didn't realize...how much you've been waiting for me this past week." He finally leaned down, kneeling behind her, pressing a kiss to her neck. "You could have told me that I was being an ass."

"As if you ever listened when told that," she said rather dryly and Ned let himself laugh at his own expense, realizing how very right she was, sobered a bit and finally moved to the other side of the table.

They said a simple grace; closing their eyes and briefly raising their minds before turning to the food.

It was a good soup; a beef broth base with lots of tender vegetables and a somehow creamy touch to it; Ned scooped up a potato, looking up to meet his wife's gaze.

"How's your work been lately?" He asked softly, suddenly remembering what she'd been wearing today; his mind going to entirely new territory. Had she actually worn that sweater to school?

He swallowed. If she had, that was her choice, most definitely. And he'd never tell her what to wear or not wear, but god, if he'd had a teacher who dressed like that...he would never have gotten any work done in any class during high school.

"Good," she said, taking a piece of bread, spreading butter on it, licking her lips after taking a bite to clear the crumbs and Ned found himself aching to lean across the table, take over that task for her.

He cut his own wedge of bread, holding out his hand for the butter and Katie passed it to him as he waited for her to continue but she stayed silent.

"Has anything interesting happened?" He asked. "I know that you were having students write poetry; any good poets emerging yet?"

She met his gaze; her eyes were cool and she again licked her lips, leaving Ned's groin pounding. "A few," she said simply. "I don't think they're committed to it though."

The words burned, intentionally.

Ned nodded, slowly turning back down to the bread, not that hungry anymore. "Katie…" He began but she was standing up, clearing the dishes away. She looked so good right now, soft and casual, wearing a plaid shirtdress over black leggings.

It was a good look on her. He liked Katie in plaid, he realized rather suddenly, helping to clear the table, putting the dishes in the dishwasher and then just turning to his wife, sticking his hands in his pockets since he didn't know where else to put them if not on her.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" He asked lamely. "Or we could call Hannah and Brandon, go out for drinks."

"I feel more like a night in," Katie said simply, turning and walking from the kitchen.

He hurried to follow her footsteps. "What kind of night in?" He asked, unaware that his voice dropped in timbre.

She stopped rather suddenly; he almost ran into her, and then her ass was so close and he reached out to gently stroke down her back, fingers running down to her hips, pulling her back in towards him, until she was flush against him, until he could feel her ass and she could feel every inch of his arousal.

Her breath was starting to come faster, and she slowly rubbed herself against him, and he wondered if he could stand this, if she wanted this as much as he did, slowly wrapping his arms around her, slowly finding the buttons on her shirt and easing the first one from its hold.

She didn't protest.

His fingers continued downward, slow and sure, playing with each patch of revealed skin, tugging at her bra a little before continuing down, splaying his hands over her stomach once he was done, holding her warm body in his hands.

Beautiful.

Goddamn beautiful.

"I love you," he whispered, stepping away for just a second to tug the shirt from her, let it drop to the ground, and then he scooped her into his arms and carried her upstairs.

He'd always loved her legs, he reflected, leaning to capture her lips in his; somehow she didn't protest the gesture and she was definitely using practiced moves to get him harder, bring him closer, but something still felt off.

It wasn't from the heart. It was like this was a performance and she'd memorized her lines, but there was no emotion and fuck, Ned was going to try so hard to bring her back to him.

Because it was his fault that she was so far away in the first place.

Because if he'd come home last night...if he'd crawled into bed with her, woken her with a hungry kiss, let her know she was desired before she'd ever even begin to doubt, if he'd taken her there...once, twice...three times...more…

Then this scene would be entirely different.

But he hadn't.

And life was about choices and whether you'd manage to fix the wrong ones.

He laid her on the bed, moving over her, unclipping her bra and seeing her already erect nipples waiting for him, lips moving into a half smile, ready to make her scream his name.

He placed his hand on one breast, pulling at the tip, pinching it until he could see that look in her eyes...but she was still silent. So fucking silent.

He leaned and replaced his fingers with his mouth and she moved against him, arching closer, but she wasn't saying a word.

His mouth moved up, found her lips, his tongue swept into her mouth, his lips sipped at hers and still, her arms were around him, and she was pressing her pelvis to his, but there wasn't emotion behind it, there was cold routine, calculated moves to bring them closer.

No.

He could feel himself begin to crumble. He couldn't. He couldn't make love to her if she was going to act like this. If he couldn't feel her emotions, if they weren't trading back and forth, if sex wasn't communication in and of itself…

No. Not when it was Katie. Not when it was his wife.

He pulled away, resting a weary head on her shoulder, about to cry or swear, about to give up completely because this fucking hurt and he knew that he should press on, but it was getting goddamn hard to.

And then Katie was moving against him, arms soft, tugging his long sleeved t shirt over his head, making him lie on his back, running hands over his chest.

She was still moving slowly, not quite meeting his gaze, but she was running her hands over his pecs, gliding down to his triceps. She loved his shoulders.

He needed to remember that.

She leaned her head down, resting her face on his chest for a moment before shifting her hips down, settling over him, the stretchy fabric of both of their pants seeming to only escalate how it felt.

But she wasn't going by emotion, she was going mentally; he could almost see her ticking off the boxes, she didn't want him to be mad at her, and he hated that.

"Katie," he began, voice all too fucking vulnerable, and her eyes flew to meet his.

She shifted off of him, pulling her leggings off, letting him watch, letting him see how her ass jiggled to get out of the tight leggings; it was such a damn glorious sight and she wasn't wearing panties and yet it somehow lessened when he reached to touch, and she didn't purr, arch into the touch.

And he was taking his pants off, shoving them away, tired of waiting, just needing her, hoping, begging something, someone that Katie would come alive in his arms if he took her there.

His fingers slipped inside her and she was a fucking study in contradictions because fuck she was wet, and her eyes were dark as she looked at him.

And she was fucking holding back, so damn much, and he found his hand on her ass, squeezing hard, until it was red, and then releasing, and he could see her breathing elevate.

And if this was how she wanted to play…

He arched her hips up, and let his hands fully grasp her ass in them, spreading his palms wide, moaning from how good it felt, even if she was holding back, and he didn't care, he just loved her.

And it was time to show that.

His fingers slipped inside of her again, his head bent down and he placed his mouth on her, feeling her shudder as he did so, feeling her body's reaction, instinctual, primal, and yet she stayed silent and he felt his heart pound doubly, trying his damndest to bring her there until he couldn't try anymore, and she was ice cold and he pulled back, entering her in one swift motion, pumping into her, leaning down and desperately kissing her lips, trying to pull her from herself, clinging to his wife, his anchor, and if she wasn't going to hold on anymore...if she couldn't hold onto him then this Archer thing really would ruin them forever.

He felt her climax, almost wept when his own soon followed, and then rolled off of her, bitter tears in his eyes.

It was his fault. But that didn't mean it hurt any less.

He didn't want to be this couple. He couldn't let he and Katie become this couple and it was heartbreaking to even contemplate.

So he said the words, quiet and yet earthshaking in the silent room.

"I love you, Katherine Ann Banks," he whispered. "Good night."

Silence again. Ned stood up, turned off the light and got back into the bed, even though it was only just past eight o'clock, even though neither of them would even have a chance of sleeping for hours yet.

And then suddenly there was a sound, a sob and Katie was rolling over on the bed, climbing onto him, clinging to him, crying on his chest. "Don't do that to me again, Ned Banks," she pleaded. "Don't. Don't make me wait and don't make me feel like I have to withhold such a vital part of me." She pressed her lips to his; he could taste the salt of her tears and felt that a kiss from her had never been so sweet.

"I'm sorry," he told her, over and over, and she was laughing, clinging to him.

"So am I," she swore. "It was stupid."

"Not that stupid," Ned whispered, and held her close, until her lips found his again, gentle, hungry, and then their bodies swam to life again.

"Make me come," Katie whispered in his ear, moaning as his hands found her breasts. "Make me come just one more time and I'll be so loud I won't be able to talk tomorrow."

"Just once?" Ned said, fingers slipping between her thighs. "Oh, Katie, it'll be a lot more than that."


	16. Take Me Away

Katie moved into the bedroom, depositing Asher's tiny duffle on the bed, hearing Ned's footsteps behind her, and soon her husband was there, placing down the two heavier suitcases and smiling at her. "Looks like we're here," Ned said. "And all settled. Asher's outside with his aunts still."

"I'm not surprised," Katie said. "Lana and Emma are crazy good with him."

"Mack, too," Ned said, nudging her with his shoulder. "Meaning that all of your siblings who are here are outside. With your parents. Meaning that we are all alone in this cabin and that they won't be looking for us for a few minutes and we should…"

He smiled at her, his gaze on her lips.

She grinned back. "Nope," she said. "I told Mack that I'd tan with her, and it's already two, the sun won't be out forever."

"Damn," Ned said.

"It's a family vacation," Katie whispered against his mouth, kissing him with open lips, sucking his bottom lip between hers. "We're going to keep it family friendly."

"No, we aren't," Ned said, arms slinging around her. "Which is to say, sex is family friendly in your family considering how often your parents do it."

"Whenever we saw something it was because we didn't knock," Katie said. "Okay, except for that one time in the laundry room but still, there were sound effects and I should have realized what they signalled, and yeah, phone calls are a little weird…"

"You're proving my point," Ned said, his lips falling to her neck.

"Yeah, probably," Katie murmured, letting herself fall over his arm, before his lips grazed the swimsuit strap under her sundress. "Nope," she said, untangling herself. "I promised Kenz I would."

"Kenz," Ned said. "You had to call her Kenz and now I feel bad."

"If you didn't before, you're just…" She just shook her head, giving him one final kiss. "Just come outside and swim, babe." She grinned, kissing him again. "I have a new suit."

And with that she departed, hips swinging, just waiting for him to come after her.

* * *

Her sister was hot, Katie realized, looking at Mackenzie's athletic swimmer's build in a modest two piece, looking better than most did in a bikini. Yes, she didn't have Melinda's figure, but she had lean muscles, long legs, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, just like Jim.

"Hey," Katie greeted, flopping down next to her.

"Hey," Mack grinned, lowering her sunglasses to look at Katie. "You actually made it outside."

"I had to beat Ned off with a stick," Katie joked.

"Thanks," Mack said a bit shyly, putting a bookmark into the book she was reading.

"That's surprisingly thick for you, what is it?" Katie asked curiously.

"Pride and Prejudice, it's on our summer reading list," Mack said.

"And do you like it as much as I always said you would if you tried?" Katie said. "As great as Harry Potter is, fine literature it isn't. It just can't compare to Mark Twain or Dickens or Jane Austen."

"It's cool so far," Mackenzie said. "The language can be daunting but once you push past that…" She shrugged.

"Is there anyone else at the lake besides us this year?" Katie wondered. "What were those boys named? Tyler and Jack?"

"Yeah," Mackenzie said. "They had such big crushes on you."

"No, they were your age," Katie contradicted.

"Yeah, and they had crushes on you," Mackenzie said. "You had curves and I had muscles and no fourteen year old boy is attracted to muscles."

"Well, some men are," Katie sighed. "But you're right, boys, not really."

"Whatever," Mack shrugged. "What do I need guys for?"

"I mean, you and they aren't fourteen anymore," Katie said. "Who knows, you might catch each other's eyes this weekend?"

"I don't think so," Mackenzie said, rolling her eyes a little.

"Just go on a date," Katie grinned. "Let him try to kiss you and then slug him when he tries to touch your boobs."

Speaking of, she finally saw Ned walking down from the cabin and stood up, casually untying the ties on her maxi dress and letting it fall to the sand at the edge of the lake, stepping out of it casually and lying back on her towel.

He was holding something; drinks? He dropped it, and she heard the crash and his muttered curses.

Oh, damn, she was too good at this.

Mack was turning around, confused.

"Don't worry about it," Katie said. "Let's just tan."

As they lay there, Emma and Lana came through the woods, looking sweaty and invigorated. Asher was walking between them, holding onto either hand, looking very pleased with himself.

"Hey!" Katie called, waving them over. "Where are mom and dad? They don't usually let you make that walk by yourself. I know that I couldn't until I was, like, 16."

"They did," Lana said, rolling her eyes. "And then they got lost. You know how it goes."

Ah. At nine, Lana was already an old soul.

"Yeah, I certainly do," Katie laughed. "You guys have anything planned for these three days?"

"I wanna try painting," Emma said. "Aunt Delia gave us some watercolors."

"They're so cool," Lana enthused. "Such a bigger set that grownups usually give. And she gave us this really nice paper so it won't, like, crumble."

"Cool," Katie said. "You can leave Ash with me, then, and go to get those."

"Yeah," Lana said, looking at Emma and they both nodded. "Dad set up an easel for us and we just both want to. But we'll take Ash, he'll like it too."

"Go ahead," Katie laughed, and watched the two run up the small hill to the cabin, helping their young nephew. Ah. They were so close. She was glad. There were only three years of difference in age between Emma and Ash and that fact never failed to warm her heart. But god, Charlie would have been older than Ems, even. He would have. He'd been so early.

"Where's Aaron, on that note?" Mack wondered. "Since we're talking about people disappearing, he and Meech should have been here by now."

Katie shook off her fog, smiling again.

"Well, it goes the same for them as it does for all of the married Clancys," Katie laughed. "And maybe they had a late night. Because of Leo, you dirty bird," she added, seeing Mack's look of disgust. "But still. You're seventeen. Boys don't have cooties."

"Fine," Mackenzie said. "You're right, he's been having tooth aches lately, Meech has been stopping in at the store and just looking exhausted."

"Teething sucks," Katie said frankly. "You know that, though."

"Yeah," Mack sighed. "I do."

They lay back, quiet once more, closing their eyes and soaking up the rays. Katie heard the faint sound of Emma, Lana and Ash playing back at the cabin, their shouts echoing down.

Then footsteps and she turned her head, seeing her parents emerge from the woods looking very rumpled, hands tightly entwined. "Hey," Melinda greeted. "Already tanning?"

"The sun is only setting," Mackenzie commented, and Katie giggled to catch the slight eye roll Mackenzie did when she saw just how crazy Melinda's ponytail currently was.

Jim's arm was moving to hug her shoulders instead, Katie could see what was coming a mile off. Her parents had done this so many times; come in all cozy, just after a long session of...whatever, and then just turned each other on again and disappeared, often for longer times than the first.

His hand was moving up and down his wife's bare arm and Katie did her own eye roll, one of true fondness. God knew that she would never change an ounce of her parents' relationship, not one passion filled moment.

Not even when their squeaking bed had kept up her entire sleepover.

Okay. That she could have done without.

Their faces were angling in towards each other as they looked out at the water, and she saw Jim press a kiss to Melinda's shoulder, whispering something in her ear as his head came back up.

Yep. Her mother was a goner.

"Well, enjoy it," Melinda said, as Jim's arm wrapped around her waist and they almost ran in their hurry for some alone time.

Yeah, that was her parents.

And Katie smiled as Ned came down the slope again, not carrying drinks this time, knowing that, on second thought, her parents could ruin as many sleepovers as they wanted. Because considering how her life had turned out, they'd ruined nothing.

He was juggling oranges, handed her one, and then just lay beside her on the sand next to the towel, reaching to grab her hand and press a kiss to it. "I do love you," he said.

"Mm, I love you," she replied, and then they just were.

* * *

Dinner was macaroni, made, surprisingly, by Ned while Katie showered and Jim and Melinda sat outside watching Lana and Emma play with Asher.

Katie was toweling off when Ned walked into the bedroom, closing the door rather finally behind him. "Dinner is done," he said, peeling his shirt over his head.

"And you are?" She wondered, grabbing a bra and slipping it on, letting the towel drop as she wiggled into panties.

"Very hungry," Ned replied, grinning at her, but obligingly flopped back onto the bed, just watching, not touching. "Not really for dinner, but oh well. I don't know. Once again, your whole family is outside. And we are inside. Alone."

"Have Aaron and Meech gotten here yet?" Katie questioned, pulling on a pair of cut offs. "Because seriously, what's keeping them?"

"They haven't," Ned said. "All the more reason to take this time now."

Giving in, just a bit, Katie strolled over to the bed, crawling next to him, placing one hand on either side of his head, looming over him. She felt his hands come up to rest on her waist, green eyes gazing into hers. "I love you," she whispered, suddenly in awe that she could do this, that Ned was hers.

He pulled her hips until they rested on his, capturing her mouth with his lips, kissing her until she was ready and willing and oh god, his hands were unbuttoning her shorts.

"Dinner!" Mack called up the stairs. "Sorry, Ned, you said five minutes for the mac and cheese."

"Damn it," Ned said, gasping as he broke away from Katie. "I swear to god, your sister enjoys this way too much."

"It's a much needed revenge for her," Katie giggled. "After years and years of watching us ruin outings by our disgusting penchant for PDA, she takes pleasure where she can get it."

"Mmph," Ned said, burying his face in Katie's breasts for a minute, holding her there, hands going somewhere entirely different, until she was the one gasping.

"Dinner!" Came Jim's voice.

"As if," Ned said. "He and Melinda got way more than we did today and he's the impatient one? I made dinner!"

"Go downstairs," Katie whispered, pressing a kiss to his throat. "We'll have our fun later."

He sighed, grabbing a new shirt and sliding it over his head before leaving the small bedroom. Katie grabbed a shirt for herself and followed a few minutes later, coming into the dining area just as Aaron and Meech walked through the door, thankfully pulling attention from Katie and Ned's tardiness.

"You guys made it," Melinda said, pushing her chair back from the table and running to hug her son and daughter-in-law.

"Leo's sleeping," Michele cautioned. "Please, just be quiet for a few minutes while I go settle him in our bedroom, but he's been so cranky lately."

"Not a word," Melinda promised, as Jim hugged Michele and slapped Aaron's back.

"Did you guys get lost?" He asked, a quizzical look on his face.

"We're fine, dad," Aaron said. "We had a late start but it's no big deal."

"What kind of late start?" Ned asked, taking a bite of macaroni, eyes twinkling. Katie kicked him under the table.

"Leo was up late crying," Aaron said, pushing his hair off of his forehead. "We ended up sleeping in and then Meech's friend Harriet called just as we were leaving with this crisis and Meech wanted to help out."

"It makes sense," Melinda said, hugging her son. "Jim, set out some more places."

"Already on it," Jim said, getting down two more plates.

"Can you get their waters?" Mack asked Lana but Aaron shook his head.

"Don't cater to us," he chuckled, leaning to kiss Lana's cheek and hug Mack tight. "How are you guys?"

"Fine," Mack said a bit subduedly, and Lana was grinning from cheek to cheek.

"It was the best day, I'm so glad you guys will be here tomorrow, because then there are two babies to play with," she beamed.

"Yeah!" Emma said, patting Ash's cheek where he sat next to her in a high chair.

"You guys are the best," Aaron said, kissing Emma's cheek too before he sat down at the empty place. "It was a long drive," he admitted. "We might be sleeping in tomorrow, but if you guys are planning something big for tomorrow afternoon, count us in."

"Just a cookout," Melinda said. "Jim is firing up the grill; I'm going around in the morning to see if any of the old regulars are up here right now, but who knows? Maybe I'll just invite some new people."

"Or find some ghosts to cross over," Jim said. "We all know that's how it will go."

"Shush," Melinda scolded. "Besides, we've got the whole clan here, we can take care of any ghosts."

Jim grinned, leaning to capture a kiss from his wife midsentence, leaving her spluttering.

Katie saw her mother's hand sneak to Jim's thigh, knowing that she'd get her revenge.

Ah, she loved this environment. And speaking of hands on thighs…

Michele had walked back into the dining room, getting into the chair next to Aaron; he gave her a quick side hug as she reached for the macaroni, serving herself.

Ned's hand had settled on Katie's leg, gradually moving up higher, fingers rough, touching the sensitive skin of inner thigh, sneaking between her legs, getting closer to the denim shorts.

"Hey, Katie," Michele said. "Haven't seen you guys in a while."

"Yeah," Katie said. "We should fix that but Ned's schedule has been crazy."

"We should get these little guys together," Meech said. "Ditch our husbands. Are you working at all over the summer?"

Katie bit her lip, desperately trying to keep her voice steady. "I am teaching one class," she said. "The high school just started offering it this year. But it's all mornings; we could definitely meet for lunch sometime."

"That would be so nice," Michele said, dimples in her cheeks.

Katie was reminded of the fact that Meech didn't have sisters; she'd fully embraced the crazy Clancy family, loving the atmosphere and overabundance of people. And though Meech loved Mack too, Katie also understood her reaching out to someone closer in age, wondering if Meech was worried about something, or just needing someone to talk to who knew what was going on.

Distracted by her sister in law, Katie tensed as Ned's fingers slipped under her shorts, still traveling upwards; she could feel her body ready herself for him and oh god, she didn't need that right now, subtly pulling her leg away.

Disappointed, Ned's hands both appeared on the table; Katie didn't miss her father's knowing smirk and wondered if he and her mother had gotten farther than her and Ned, almost wanting to try again but god, she wanted to go all the way, there had been enough teasing.

And if she didn't speak soon, Jim and Melinda were definitely going to sneak off again after dinner, and Katie was not going to let that happen.

"Well, Ned and I are going for a walk after dinner," Katie said. "Lana, Ems, could you watch Ash?"

"Of course!" The two agreed.

"Maybe Mack wants to go on a walk too," Jim suggested slyly.

"No!" Mackenzie almost shouted while Ned opened his mouth to also protest.

"Fine," Melinda said. "Well, your father and I can take care of the dishes. You guys, disperse, make merry."

She stood up, gathering the plates.

Katie sighed. Somehow her parents always managed to win. Then again, maybe they'd just been playing longer.

* * *

The sun was setting by the time they managed to escape the house; Ash had started crying for no reason anyone could discern, and it had taken them almost an hour to figure out that he'd killed a ladybug and wanted to give it a funeral. And it had taken another thirty minutes to plan said burial and execute their plans.

"That was intense," Ned said, pulling her tightly to him.

"You're telling me," Katie said dryly, as they turned corner on the path, as the water came into view again. Ned turned her in his arms, halting them, and leaned down to kiss her.

Finally.

"I missed this," Katie breathed. "You just kissing me whenever. You've been so busy lately and I love my family but it's just so good to breathe each other in."

"Yes," Ned murmured, holding her close as a pair of joggers ran past. "So good."

They stayed on the path, just embracing, swaying back and forth a little, until the sun was gone.

"Let's go sit on the beach," Katie suggested, leading them closer to the water, wishing she'd changed back into her bikini.

"This is such a great lake," Ned commented.

"It is," Katie said, their hands still entwined, but she was gradually pulling away, moving closer to the water.

She could feel his eyes on her, heavy, and she slowly pulled her hand from his, her hands going to the hem on her shirt. "I was thinking," she said, pulling it over her head. "I want to swim. I don't have a bathing suit though."

She was already unsnapping her bra, feeling heat wherever his gaze landed, shimmying out of her shorts and panties. "You coming?" She asked, walking into the water, glancing over her shoulder at him as he started to undress.

Finally.

He waded in after her, and she found herself going in deeper, taking a step whenever he did, until he caught her game and swam towards her, catching her before she could get away.

And it was scary, because anyone could have walked by, and it was invigorating and the water cold, but Ned was hot, his arms more than warming her up as he pulled her close, his lips covering hers.

He was her man. She didn't care how it sounded and she didn't mind labeling herself as his woman. They belonged to each other.

She sincerely wished for everyone in the world to have what they did, she thought idly as his lips traveled down her neck, finding a stiff peak, turning her on. As his fingers slipped between her legs, and she pressed her hips against his, wanting him inside her.

She felt like a teenager again, remembering what teenage Katie would have done to get Ned in the water with her like this. Which would have most definitely been inappropriate.

But she couldn't help but think of how pleased her younger self would be to know that, after everything, she and Ned were together, had a child, still ignited at the touch of the other's hands.

Yes, she reflected, her lips on his neck, palming him and making him moan aloud. This was her dream, had been for a long time.


	17. Birthday Present for Mariah <3

Ned didn't even remember, past a certain point, just how long he'd been ghost hunting with the Clancy family. They'd met when he was young, and then his nosy self had gotten into some very interesting adventures with Melinda and Jim; until they'd told him the truth, until he'd forced it out of them.

And after that it was just second nature for the Clancys to call him, or for him to call them, when things that weren't quite...normal happened.

Such as now.

Katie was hurrying down the steps of Grandview High School, dressed in a baggy sweater and jeans, even though it was a fairly warm day and the rest of her classmates had shed outer layers; Ned spotted quite a few short shorts and crop tops among the crowd.

God. Katie was still so hung up on what had happened with Henry. So fragile.

Ned hated that she'd been hurt like that, but she was barely the same anymore. Didn't talk much. Didn't eat much. Just sat under that tree in the Clancy front yard and wrote, her mind on an entirely different plane.

He honked the horn. "Katie!" He called and she looked up in surprise; he felt his heart give a funny leap when, upon seeing him, a huge smile of surprise spread across her face.

"Ned?" She asked, not dragging her feet any longer; she was practically jogging to his car, her face alight. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom asked me to pick you up," he said, unlocking the doors, and Katie clambered in.

Ned skirted his gaze away from just how long her legs looked right now, graciously helping her with her backpack and moving it to the backseat. "She has ghost trouble right now," he said. "Plus, your dad was at the shop and I didn't think she wanted to leave."

Katie groaned, her face turning a faint red. "They're so bad," she mumbled.

"Yeah, well, with a family like yours, you have to make time when you can," Ned teased, and Katie just rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's nice to see you," Katie said carefully, looking at him from behind a curtain of hair; she slowly brushed it behind her ear, baring the left side of her face to him. "How's college?"

"Same as always," Ned replied, pulling away from the curb, keeping a careful eye out for students on foot. "My professors are crazy and I love it."

"Good?" Katie giggled, before she gasped, face falling.

"What?" Ned asked, distracted, taking his eyes off the road to focus on her for a moment too long. God, she was beautiful. Those eyes.

God, this was wrong.

"My mom was going to let me drive today!" Katie groaned. "I need to get more practice hours in before my driving test. God."

She leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes in disappointment. "I'm so behind on everything in driver's ed, my parents have been so busy," she mumbled.

"It's hard to make time for things like that," Ned said.

"Yeah," Katie sighed. "Getting us all to competitions and everything is easy. But having me drive is another story. Mom doesn't want me driving with Aaron and Lana in the car until I've had my license for six months; I'm hoping to talk her down to three, but she's definitely not allowing it before I have my license and we're always picking them up."

She gave him a sideeye. "Wait."

"No," Ned said immediately. "I'd need to be twenty one, and I've got one more birthday to go."

She slumped down in her seat, a pout appearing on her face. "But—"

"No buts," Ned scoffed. "You can't talk me into that."

She sighed. "Can we make a stop?" She asked, fidgeting with the hem of her oversize sweater.

"Where?" Ned wondered, coming to a stop at an intersection, turning his right turn signal on.

She continued to fidget. "Left," she asked, more breathing than saying the word. He felt it, deep in his chest, how she hissed the word; how could such a simple word affect him thusly?

He switched turning signals, taking a left.

"I have a ghost too," Katie sighed. "She's older. I think she wants me to talk to her son." She licked her lips. "I don't like her," she admitted. "I feel like there's something she isn't telling me."

"They never tell you everything," Ned said, glancing at her sideways. "Not at first."

"Usually because they're confused, because they don't know," Katie stressed the last word. "But she's hiding it intentionally."

"Okay," Ned said. "Where are we headed?"

"It's right along here," Katie said. "He's just outside Grandview." She suddenly hunched over, pressing two fingers to her forehead. "I don't like this," she said through clenched teeth, and Ned had the sudden dawning realization that they weren't alone any longer, and that this ghost was not treating Katie well.

And that made him angry. "Stop it," he said coolly, feeling his hands clench on the steering wheel. "Katie is trying to help you. Making her feel like this doesn't help anything. You can't just scare her into doing what you want; besides, she's doing it anyway."

Katie looked up at him, eyes near to being tear filled. "It's close," she sighed, leaning back in the seat.

"Is she gone?" Ned asked carefully, turning back to face the road, not wanting to embarrass her.

"It's fine," Katie said, turning to look out the window, shielding her face, letting her hair fall back over it.

They pulled up in front of an old house; Katie got out of the car slowly, feeling the heat of the day hit her. Ned had had the air conditioner on; he wasn't surprised to see her look taken aback and then, to his utter shock, she reached for the hem on her sweater.

The moment that followed was one that Ned remembered for far too long for it to be right or proper.

She dragged it over her head, slowly revealing the skin tight tank top she wore underneath it; it was a light rose pink, and it made every curve she possessed just pop, screaming out at Ned.

He didn't...he shouldn't...she was fifteen and he shouldn't be looking at her like this.

To think he'd thought he was good again, had kicked this dangerous habit of finding Katherine Ann Clancy attractive. Too attractive.

Which wasn't her fault. It was his.

He cleared his throat, carefully looking away, watching as she tucked her sweater into her backpack, looking over at him. "Ready?" She said. "He's nice, I know that. But I'd rather not do this alone."

"As if I'd let you," Ned almost growled, catching her eyes; she looked surprised.

His eyes dipped when her head turned and she started to walk; the baggy sweater had obscured how tight her jeans were, how nicely they clung to her booty.

God.

This was so wrong.

And her tank top…

Ned just swallowed, praying for strength, knowing that he couldn't let himself go over to the Clancys for a few weeks following this; it was too easy, it would be too easy. He knew she liked him. He knew she had a crush, she couldn't hide it. And she liked to hug.

Or…

She'd once liked to hug.

Since Henry, those hugs had been few and far between for anyone but her family.

But he knew that if he started hanging around more, started making himself one of the family again, she'd start hugging him again. Hugging him to say hello, to say goodbye…

She'd hold on a little too long when her parents weren't looking, she'd cling to him.

She didn't like it when he left back for college. She knew that the types of girls he dated there.

Ned sighed.

He couldn't afford, for both of their sakes, to let her hold him like that. He was a gentleman...well, he was no gentleman, but around Katie he had to be.

Not because Jim would kill him if he wasn't (though Jim would kill him) but because Katie was fifteen and deserved someone her own age. Deserved someone where it wouldn't be illegal for them to…

To…

Ned felt himself get a little dizzy, just as Katie mounted the front porch steps, looking behind her to find out why he was walking so slowly. He walked behind her, forcing his eye level above her hips, keeping it on her soft brown hair, and she, once he'd joined her on the porch, once he was next to her, their shoulders nearly brushing, she pressed the bell, licking her lips.

* * *

Katie wasn't sure why Ned was being so quiet, but it didn't really matter. God, this ghost really annoyed her.

She tried so hard to be like her mother, to see beyond the trappings of the dead. She knew that some ghosts were truly nothing like what they first appeared to be.

But she didn't understand this ghost. She could tell that the woman was intentionally keeping back so much and Katie didn't like it.

They walked up the steps; Katie sensed, suddenly, that Ned had grown closer, that they were suddenly walking with their shoulders touching when they hadn't been before.

She was glad for her growth spurt for the first time in a while, glad that she could almost look him in the eyes, that it wasn't quite as unequal between them as it had always been. To be sure, it was still the same. Ned was older, more experienced, and she was younger, foolish, easily hurt.

She sighed, knocking on the door.

Ned pointed out a doorbell and Katie flushed, pushing the button.

A man appeared in the kitchen window; they saw him hesitate upon seeing them and it became obvious that he didn't want to open the door.

"Please, sir," Katie managed. "We just need to talk for a minute."

He disappeared from view; Ned looked at Katie and shrugged, ready to give up, but he'd forgotten whose daughter Katie was.

"Please," she repeated, outright pounding on the door now.

The man opened it with a jerk, suddenly, and she fell back in surprise, colliding with Ned's chest.

She shivered, turning her head to look up at him in surprise, in pleasure; eyes wide, and she unconsciously pushed closer, leaning into him.

He reached up to place a steadying hand on her shoulder, perhaps misinterpreting the reason she'd lingered in the embrace, just thinking her unsteady.

The man was staring at them and Katie jerked away from Ned. "Hey, sir, I need to talk to you about something."

"About what?" He wondered.

"About your mother, Dominga," she began.

"What about her?" He said. "What could you possibly have to say about her? I knew everyone she knew, she had dementia and good lord, there was no one she even remembered that I didn't know, because I had to tell her to remember."

"Oh," Katie said, startled.

Dominga appeared next to her and Katie suddenly realized that it wasn't intentional. Dominga just hadn't been dead long enough to fully process her death, and lose the limitations her mortal body had given her.

But now it seemed like realized was dawning. She was looking at her son, looking at Katie talking to him. Clarity began to dawn on her face.

"Oh, god," she breathed. "Oh my god, I have lost my life."

"Yes," Katie whispered.

"Yes what?" He demanded.

"Tell him," Dominga began. "Tell my son I love him."

"Your mother loved you," Katie began.

"I remember now," Dominga breathed. "What good care he took of me. How closely he always watched me. How he moved in with me, leaving his apartment in the city, when I got my diagnosis. How he looked after me, took care of me every step of the way."

She was weeping. "He was such a good son, my Tomas."

"Tomas," Katie said. "Your mother is here with us right now, and I don't know if you'll believe that, but I have a gift. I can see the dead, I can talk to your mother. She's right next to us," she said, gesturing to where Dominga was hovering. "She has some messages. She's so grateful to you moving in with her after she was first diagnosed with dementia."

Tomas had opened his mouth to protest, to be angry, but now he was pausing. Waiting.

"She says you were such a good son," Katie said, listening to the next part of the message. "She says to tell you that she remembers again, the day you talked to her about when she was dying.

She remembers taking you to the park. She remembers the clear blue sky. She remembers searching for shapes in the clouds. She remembers it all."

Katie cleared her throat. "And she remembers the day you told Eva goodbye. And she said...she says that she wants you to get into contact with her again. That the promise she asked you to make was unfair. And that Eva is still waiting for you."

Tomas was just staring.

"Eva is still waiting," Katie repeated.

* * *

Katie breathed out, leaning on the window of the car. "My headache is gone," she said, cheering up a little.

"That's a pretty incredible story," Ned said, glancing sideways at her.

"Yeah," Katie said. "She made him say goodbye to his fiance and then couldn't cross over from the guilt. And of course, the her that had dementia wouldn't have remembered telling him to do that so who knows, maybe she'd regretted it long before now."

"It's incredible the people you meet," Ned said. "The stuff people tell you. And your mom."

"I'm just shocked he talked to me," Katie said. "Are you kidding me? I"m not my mom, not even close."

"Well, you're right that you aren't your mom, but you've got gifts in your own right," Ned said. "And beyond the fact that you're amazing, he talked to you because you're a total babe. And sometimes, like we just proved, just a foot in the door gets you far enough."

Katie felt her heart stop, wondering what on earth Ned meant. "What?" She asked.

"What?" He wondered, distracted and taking a sharp right; he'd almost missed the turn.

"I'm a what?" She asked, feeling dazed.

Ned shrugged. "I don't know, sorry, I lost track of what I was saying."

His hands were holding onto the steering wheel tighter; Katie wondered, then shrugged it off.

There was no way he was lying about having forgotten what he said. What would the point in that be? And besides, there was also no way that he actually thought she was a, what, a total babe!

As if.

Because she wasn't. And Ned Banks was the last person who'd ever think that about her.

She sighed and just leaned back in her seat. The end. At least this day was over finally.


End file.
